Biglaw

Nationwide Pay Freeze Update: Slurpees Still on Ice (or Poured Out)

At the beginning of 2009, we were tracking salary freezes as law firms across the country froze their salaries at 2008 levels, rather than instituting lockstep raises based on seniority. Our most recent salary freeze round-up was in February. (We also acknowledged those that had raises as normal.) Since then though, the salary freeze watch […]

By Kashmir Hill on June 18, 2009 2:24 pm

At the beginning of 2009, we were tracking salary freezes as law firms across the country froze their salaries at 2008 levels, rather than instituting lockstep raises based on seniority. Our most recent salary freeze round-up was in February. (We also acknowledged those that had raises as normal.)
Since then though, the salary freeze watch has been replaced by the salary cut watch. Rather than keeping salaries at 2008 levels, some firms are cutting back to 1998 levels.
Okay, not really. Salaries aren’t quite in line with the days of Ally McBeal, but some pay stubs are starting to resemble those of 2005.
So what about those firms that instituted “slurpee freezes” back in January? These firms said they were keeping salaries at 2008 levels, but that they planned to revisit the decision later in the year. It was assumed at the time that they would be revisiting in order to raise salaries, but that has not been the case.
If your firm hasn’t “revisited” the decision, that might be a good thing. None of those with slurpee freezes decided to raise salaries, though quite a few cut them. Specifics after the jump.


We checked in with a number of firms on the slurpee freeze list. Many thanks to Karen Sosa for her help on this — you’ll be learning more about her next week.
Some firms got back to us. Some did not. If you have any updates, feel free to e-mail them to us or to add information in the comments.
THE SLURPEE FREEZE LIST – CHECKING IN

  • Alston & Bird – looks like they’re still frozen
  • Andrews Kurth – looks like they’re still frozen
  • Arnold & Porter – looks like they’re still frozen
  • Baker & McKenzie – when the firm froze, it said it would revisit the decision June 30. But in April the firm became the first Vault top 50 firm to cut salaries.
  • Bingham McCutchen – still frozen. “Nothing new to report,” says a Bingham spokesperson.
  • Chadbourne & Parke – it revisited the decision in order to pour out some slurpee. Chadbourne cut base salaries in April.
  • Dorsey & Whitney – it poured out 1/10th of its slurpee. Dorsey announced it was cutting salaries by 10% in June.
  • Fish & Richardson – it revisited the decision in June and is apparently not cutting salaries this year.
  • Fulbright & Jaworski – looks like they’re still frozen
  • Katten Muchin – looks like they’re still frozen
  • K&L Gates – when the firm froze, it said it would revisit the decision in July. We doubt its associates are expecting salary raise fireworks next month though.
  • Haynes and Boone – looks like they’re still frozen
  • Mayer Brown – Freeze is permanent this year. “Salaries will remain at their current levels through the end of 2009,” said a spokesman. No word as to plans for salaries for new associates starting in 2010.
  • McDermott Will & Emery – its slurpee is frozen solid. The firm announced in March that the salary freeze would remain in effect for the rest of 2009.
  • Patton Boggs – freeze is still on.
  • Sidley Austin – looks like they’re still frozen
  • Sonnenschein – it revisited in May and decided to cut salaries from 10-15%.
  • Venable – looks like they’re still frozen
  • Winston & Strawn – looks like they’re still frozen
  • Womble Carlyle – it revisited the freeze in April and decided to cut salaries.
    Earlier: Nationwide Salary Freeze Watch: Buchanan Ingersoll, and a New Round-up