Chicago Pay Raise Watch: Much Shelist Deserves Much Praise Memo Is A Fake

Here’s a recent message from a Chicago-based reader:

I’ve got a suggestion for a post. How about one on the Chicago market?

NYC, done. L.A. is pretty much set. DC looks like it’s headed to 160.

But what about Chicago? I think a post along the lines of whether Chicago is going to take a back seat as a lower tier legal market, or match the LA/DC markets, would generate a lot of interest/traffic/comments.

Ok, just my two cents. The stuff on the compensation has been great! Keep up the good work.

We agree with this commenter. There’s no longer much excitement to covering Los Angeles, which is “pretty much set,” and Washington, DC, which will surely settle at $160K (even if some firms drag their feet about it, to save themselves a few weeks’ worth of higher salaries).
But “flyover country” — basically, Chicago and Texas (which we’ll cover in a subsequent post) — is a big question mark. Will these markets match the big money of the East Coast, and retain their status as major legal markets? Or will they fade into regional obscurity, unable to draw the same legal talent as their more flush coastal counterparts?
The big Chicago shops haven’t budged on associate salaries in their home offices. But one Windy City boutique, Much Shelist, isn’t going down without a fight. Last week they raised all of their offices — including their home office, in Chicago — to the $160K scale. The memo appears after the jump.
UPDATE/CORRECTION: The purported Much Shelist memo that appears after the jump is a FAKE.


UPDATE/CORRECTION: This memo is a FAKE.
MUCH SHELIST DENENBERG AMENT & RUBINSTEIN, P.C.
MEMORANDUM
May 8, 2007
CONFIDENTIAL
To: California, Chicago, New Jersey, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Associates
From: Associates Committee
Copies to: Partners and Of Counsel; LeeAnn Black
Subject: Associate Compensation
We are pleased to announce increases in associate salaries in each of our California, Chicago, New Jersey, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. offices. Effective May 1, 2007, associates salaries in these offices are as follows:
CALIFORNIA, CHICAGO, NEW JERSEY, NORTHERN VIRGINIA AND WASHINGTON, D.C. OFFICES
Class Year Former Base Compensation Base Compensation Effective May 1,
2007
1st Year $145,000 $160,000
2nd Year $155,000 $170,000
3rd Year $170,000 $185,000
4th Year $190,000 $210,000
5th Year $210,000 $230,000
6th Year $225,000 $250,000
7th Year $240,000 $265,000
8th Year $2 50,000 $280,000
Associate paychecks issued May 18, 2007 will reflect these increases and the retroactive adjustment.
David Pilotto
MUCH SHELIST
Much Shelist Denenberg Ament & Rubenstein, P.C.
UPDATE/CORRECTION: This memo is a FAKE.

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