Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: Bracewell & Giuliani
As a presidential candidate, Rudy Giuliani is picking up steam. Meanwhile, his law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, is doling out the cash down in Texas.
From the Texas Lawyer:
On July 25, Bracewell & Giuliani joined the growing pack of Texas-based firms raising first- and second-year associate raises.Houston-based Bracewell — with 391 lawyers in the United States, 306 of those in Texas — will raise first-year associate salaries to $160,000 and second-year associate salaries to $170,000 effective Aug. 1, says Melanie Hillis, a firm spokeswoman. Hillis says the firm, which is offering raises to first- and second-year associates in all seven of its U.S. offices, is still evaluating how to structure raises for third- through eighth-year associates.
Read the full article for an insanely detailed summary of the Texas pay raise action, which treats the subject like a high school history lesson: “On July 18, Houston-based Andrews Kurth…. On July 21, partners in Susman Godfrey….” (And who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand?)
Speaking of Giuliani, we’re obsessed with the Obama Girl vs. Giuliani Girl music video. We admire and respect Rudy Giuliani, but even we had to laugh at this lyric: “Giuliani girl stop your fussin’ / At least Obama didn’t marry his cousin.”
(Also, the pillow fight at the end is AWESOME. And we love Kucinich Girl.)
Bracewell & Giuliani First- and Second-Years Seeing Green [Texas Lawyer]
Debate ‘08: Obama Girl vs Giuliani Girl [YouTube via BarelyPolitical.com]
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Comments
Where's Baker Botts? And what's with this funky Texas idea to only raise for 1st and 2nd's?
Um..no you're not bitch
TEXA$ HALL OF FAME
V&E
Andrews Kurth
Locke Liddell
Thompson Knight
Susman
Bracewell
TEXAS LIST OF SHAME
Baker Botts
Fulbright & Jaworski
Akin Gump
Jackson Walker
Hughes Luce
Hunton & Williams
Jones Day (at 150)
Winstead
Gardere
Strasburger (never went to 135K)
Haynes Boone
Carrington Coleman
Porter & Hedges
McKool Smith
Seyfarth Shaw
Munsch Hardt
I never thought that these firms would be dragging their heels like this. UT Law 2L's begin putting in their OCI bids next week. Time's running out ...
Brandon Caire, CLS student and accused XO, Autoadmit, and Autoadmitwatch hacker is a SA there currently. I bet he's stoked about it.
TEXA$ HALL OF FAME
V&E
Andrews Kurth
Locke Liddell
Thompson Knight
Susman
Bracewell
TEXAS LIST OF SHAME
Baker Botts
Fulbright & Jaworski
Akin Gump
Jackson Walker
Hughes Luce
Hunton & Williams
Jones Day (at 150)
Winstead
Gardere
Strasburger (never went to 135K)
Haynes Boone
Carrington Coleman
Porter & Hedges
McKool Smith
Seyfarth Shaw
Munsch Hardt
King & Spalding
Here are amended lists that also have the out of state offices that have raised for their associates in Texas.
TEXA$ HALL OF FAME
V&E
Andrews Kurth
Locke Liddell
Thompson Knight
Susman
Bracewell
(Dewey Ballantine- Austin)
(Fish & Richardson- Austin and Dallas)
(Gibson Dunn- Dallas)
(Jenner & Block- Dallas)
(Skadden- Houston)
(Sidley Austin- Dallas)
(Weil Gotshal- Dallas and Houston)
(Wilson Sonsini- Austin)
TEXAS LIST OF SHAME
Akin Gump
Baker Botts
Carrington Coleman
Fulbright & Jaworski
Gardere
Haynes & Boone
Hughes & Luce
Hunton & Williams
Jackson Walker
Jones Day (at 150)
King & Spalding
McKool Smith
Munsch Hardt
Porter & Hedges
Seyfarth Shaw
Strasburger (never went to 135K)
Winstead
King & Spalding should be on everyone's list of shame in every city.
Strasburger is still at $110k?! Are they even considered respectable in Texas?
McKool Smith has been at 160k for some time. Check the NALP.
They should not be on the list of Shame.
Corrected lists:
TEXA$ HALL OF FAME
V&E
Andrews Kurth
Locke Liddell
Thompson Knight
Susman
Bracewell
McKool Smith
(Dewey Ballantine- Austin)
(Fish & Richardson- Austin and Dallas)
(Gibson Dunn- Dallas)
(Jenner & Block- Dallas)
(Skadden- Houston)
(Sidley Austin- Dallas)
(Weil Gotshal- Dallas and Houston)
(Wilson Sonsini- Austin)
TEXAS LIST OF SHAME
Akin Gump
Baker Botts
Carrington Coleman
Fulbright & Jaworski
Gardere
Haynes & Boone
Hughes & Luce
Hunton & Williams
Jackson Walker
Jones Day (at 150)
King & Spalding
Munsch Hardt
Porter & Hedges
Seyfarth Shaw
Strasburger (never went to 135K)
Winstead
why do we care about salaries in Texas? BOOOOOORING. Now salary increases in the major east coast cities, that's a story.
TEXAS LIST OF SHAME
Akin Gump
Baker Botts
Carrington Coleman (never went to 135K)
DLA Piper
Fulbright & Jaworski
Gardere (never went to 135K)
Haynes & Boone
Hughes & Luce
Hunton & Williams
Jackson Walker (never went to 135K)
Jones Day (at 150)
King & Spalding
Munsch Hardt (never went to 135K)
Porter & Hedges (never went to 135K)
Seyfarth Shaw (never went to 135K)
Strasburger (never went to 135K)
Winstead (never went to 135K)
Who's next off the list? The way the dominos have been falling has been interesting. I didn't figure TK and Bracewell to follow so soon. We have some true heavyweights on the sidelines. Who's last off the list, but will drag there feet the longest? NO, you can't count Strasburger.
Does "BigLaw" mean AmLaw 100 firms or top 10 NYC firms?
it's funny that baker & mckenzie is nowhere to be found ...
"Biglaw" means any firm paying 160k, everyone else is carrying their jock.
Munch Hardt pays 135k according to its NALP form.
Gardere pays 140K, the list of shame is enough. Let's not make them look worse than they deserve. My guess for next to raise is Gardere but they'll wait for senior associate raises.
Gardere went to 135k a long time ago.
If I am Baker Botts or Fulbright, I announce 165k a few days before UT Law has their OCI drop.
Gavrilo Princip
What about him 5:19 p.m.?
Word is that Fulbright hasn't responded yet because the managing partner is on vacation. And don't forget that Fulbright has generally been slow on matching raises.
Everyone I've talked to at that firm is relaxed about the delay. They know that it'll happen any day now...
Atlanta is so fucking pathetic. I hope that OCI is a bloodbath (as I'm sure it will be). No one in their right mind would move to Atlanta when virtually every other secondary market in the country is paying $145k, if not $160k.
seyfarth is at 135k in its Houston office...just not 145k...need to update your list.
Bracewell has an office in Kazakhstan. Yeah!
Almaty to 10K!
I'm a 2L at UT. We drop on Monday. But we have a couple weeks to update our apps, etc, before the system closes, and I'm sure in that time the other firms will have followed suit.
Everyone keeps saying "where's Atlanta" -- I'm wondering: where's Seattle??? And Portland??? I'm from the NW and would love to go back, but the cost of living is sky-high there -- and even the biggest firms there are still at $110K!!
With Bracewell going to 160, and there PPP being on the low end of BigTex, almost everyone in BigTex will have to match...
9:49,
Seattle and Portland don't really compete in the same way with those other markets. Salaries will go up, eventually, but the NW doesn't move just because everyone else moves. The gap has gotten a little out of hand (it used to be 90 to 100ish in Seattle vs. 125 in the other markets--the gap is much bigger now).
If you really want to come to the NW, and you can land one of the coveted spots, you can make 145 to 135 at a handful of places (WSGR, DLA Piper, Heller, Orrick, Susman).
Wouldn't the NW want to keep up with CA, though?
And I'm mostly interested in Portland -- so far as I can tell, nobody's even near 135-145 in Portland...
How does one justify leaving Austin (160) for Portland (110 at best), when COL is slightly higher in Portland?
You can't.
Has anyone noted how obscene these salaries are? According to '06 numbers, a household income of $157K/yr puts that household (the household -- not a single earner, but the whole household) in the top 5% of household incomes in the nation.
I don't remember the exact number, but around $250K/yr puts you in the top 2%. You only have to make around $75K/yr to be in the top 25%.
I'm not necessarily complaining -- I like the idea of making the big bucks as much as the next person. But isn't it a little sick that a bunch of 20-somethings fresh out of law school will be instantly earning among the top 5% of household incomes in the United States? And if you partnered up with someone from law school and you're both working....
10:17,
Here's your justification: Portland is awesome, and Austin is in Texas.
I'm not a major Texas hater like some of the commenters here seem to be, but Portland is awesome.
But it is getting out of hand--they need to narrow the gap back to what it was (a 20 to 30k difference, not 50 to 65). Another potential plus is that the hours in Portland are reasonable (at most places)--the target is usually 1800. I don't know what hours are like in Texas.
10:49
Yeah, I know Portland is awesome -- I'm from there. But Austin is -- dare I say it -- equally awesome. Seriously. A lot like Portland: young, hip, cosmopolitan, progressive (yes, despite the fact that it's in TX). It's hands-down the most un-Texas Texas city there is. It's even lush and green, with numerous lakes (not flat and dry and full of sage brush, like most of the state).
The strong draw I have to Portland is that my wife and I have family there -- and it's always been "home." But with 50-60K in additional salary in Austin, we can afford to fly "home" for visits....
Ummmm...forget what I said. Austin sucks. None of you want to live in Austin. I repeat: do not apply to jobs in Austin. It sucks. Don't come here.
10:49, I usually don't jump on people who make "but it's in Texas" comments because I moved to Austin from the East Coast, love it, and don't particularly care about the stereotypes that many people assign to Texans and living in Texas. However, I can only assume from your post that you have never been to Austin because as 10:56 has pointed out, Austin is often compared to Portland and Seattle. Due to the cost of living, lack of state income tax, and laid back Austin atmosphere, $160k starting salary here is the best deal around in my opinion.
12:41,
You're assumption is incorrect. I was born in Dallas, and have been to Austin many times (both long ago and recently).
I'm not a Texas hater-- I just feel compelled to live where the weather is on the cool side and mild, and near mountains and the sea. So to reverse the comparison I'd say Seattle and Portland are like Austin, but with weather and scenery that I find vastly preferable.
I agree Austin is a great deal, possibly the best around for big firm associates.
I'll note though that in the NW you can really pull a fast one taxes wise by living in Vancouver WA (no state income tax) and shopping in Portland OR (no sales tax).
Anyway. Sounds like we're both happy about where we live. Good for us.
5:15, you are fucking stupid.
Texas has no state income tax either so that blows your idea
828 here. What I meant to say is that blows your idea because a few bucks in sales tax compared to not paying 5-10 percent state income tax is nothing when you compare the 50-60k salary difference
Greedy is reporting an Akin raise. Any word, Lat?
You are all pathetically overpaid. Spoiled, greedy little whiners, each and every one of you!