Days Go By... And Associates Keep Getting Angrier

Some very angry associates...

Businesspeople making face at boss in officeIt is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single associate in possession of decent billables must be in want of a raise. Many of the top firms have already handed out full Cravath matches. Some have tried to game the system and shortchange their seniors. Others have downright refused to budge.

We tried to help partners figure out what to do… apparently some just haven’t listened yet.

And thus we get more and more complaints rolling in every day. Enjoy…

Norton Rose Fulbright

If people were mad at Norton Rose Fulbright last week, now they’re absolutely furious.

Continued silence from Norton Rose Fulbright. Houston’s only holdout.

Another tipster feels the same…

Sponsored

Associates at Norton Rose Fulbright have received no communication from management about whether they intend to match salary raises. It’s disappointing…. NRF seems to be the sole Houston holdout, and people are wondering if this merger was a huge mistake….

Putting aside my feelings about whether or not the Houston market should have matched in the first place, the fact of the matter is that the center of gravity in Houston has matched Cravath and any firm hoping to remain a leader in that market needs to match too. It’s not really a tough decision when all your other options have evaporated, which is also, according to polling, the leading reason why anyone marries an attorney.

Rumor has it that the partners are meeting today. Maybe this is the last we’ll see of Norton Rose Fulbright in this feature…

Troutman

This is another repeat complaint, but with a twist. Previously, we focused on Troutman’s Atlanta presence. Now we’re asked to turn our gaze outside the firm headquarters to offices that are getting buried in their local markets because Atlanta refuses to act.

Sponsored

I appreciate your coverage of salary increases and information. Specifically, the article about Angry Associates was needed to get people talking in the halls. However, the salary issue at Troutman does not end with the Atlanta office. The focus at Troutman is always on Atlanta, but offices at Troutman outside of Atlanta that are considered in major markets by other firms on ATL’s chart, and have given increases, are not getting increases and are ALREADY behind old market. No one acknowledges Troutman’s West Coast offices. Troutman needs to announce salary increases soon to get even slightly competitive. Completely embarrassing.

This isn’t an isolated complaint:

All the posts about TS failing to move on compensation discuss the Altanta office. Associates in other offices are comparing notes and are becoming restless as we all continue watch as we fall way behind market. This is not just an Atlanta problem. Come on TS!

The risks of working in a satellite office for a firm based outside of New York. This is a trend. Take, for example, Jones Day or Reed Smith. Both are firms based outside of a big market that just couldn’t wrap their heads around an honest and true Cravath match.

It’s like when your relatives from Nebraska visit New York and tip $4 on a $80 meal because “that’s what we usually tip for dinner!”

Holland & Knight

One of the most popular firms around, per its associates, is generating a little ire for staying on the low end of compensation.

Would you mind putting some of that abovethelaw pressure on my firm regarding salary raises? holland & knight… They just raised our first years from 145-160 and literally 3 weeks later, the market goes to $180. It’s odd what a coincidence the timing was but HK should do the right thing and be competitive for once. HK is in plenty of large markets and us associates are embarrassed. The firm is doing great… I cannot speak to the financials but the firm is doing well….

PS they’re only on lockstep for 1st and 2nd years!!! Open the wallet!!!

Holland & Knight boasts PPP of almost over $1 million, which is pretty much the meat of the “you should’ve raised by now” strike zone. UPDATE: Boneheaded move… looked at an older Am Law number. It’s been fixed. Analysis even more true now.

Akerman

What if I told you there was an Am Law 100 firm with over 600 lawyers, 20 offices — including a presence in major markets like New York and Washington — that hasn’t raised to $160K yet.

Well, that’s Akerman, sitting barely inside the illustrious top 100:

600+ lawyers, 20 offices. I believe as of 2016, the highest first year salary any Akerman office offers is $145,000. Depending on the market, a first year salary could be much lower. There has been NO discussion of even raising larger-market first year salaries to $160,000 let alone $180,000.

Akerman’s been on the rise over the course of this decade, finally moving up into the Am Law 100. But with great power comes great responsibility, as they say in the funny pages. Once you slather your firm with the Am Law 100 label, people are going to start comparing you to a whole new set of peers. Peers who pay more than $145K for first years…

Duane Morris

I haven’t seen anything re DM on the $180k raises. Dechert and ML (Philly-based firms) have matched. $900k PPP and not a word from management whether anything is coming or not. Also, DM doesn’t have a traditional raise or bonus structure. Black box for both. It’s all voodoo.

Don’t know how you do the voodoo that you do. So well it’s a spell, hell, makes me wanna shoop shoop shoop.

Except, I’m not sure the associates think it’s being done all that well.

Patterson Belknap

Some frustrated associates at Patterson Belknap wanted to let ATL know that, despite the movement in the market, the firm has been completely silent on the subject of associate raises. Although the firm is outside the Am Law 100, Patterson’s profits per partner are healthy and much higher than those of many firms that have raised, the firm is not highly leveraged, and it has only one office — in New York City — where cost of living is the highest. Patterson markets itself as a highly selective firm that competes with some of the most elite New York firms in terms of talent and, until now, salaries. There’s some speculation that because Patterson has essentially done away with on-campus recruiting and now hires almost exclusively law clerks, management may try to wait until clerk recruiting season to raise salaries. Hopefully we’re just being paranoid, but the prolonged inaction has made us suspicious….

That’s a fascinating theory and, if true, I’m not sure it’s the wrong move. Make no mistake, it sucks for associates right now and isn’t a move I’d applaud, but if we approach the concept of raises as a matter of keeping the firm on pace with its peers in the recruiting market — which is certainly one motivation that management strongly considers — then it only matters that the firm be square by clerk time.

That said, it’s worth encouraging any Patterson partners out there that landing talent may be 60 percent about great first- (or second-) year compensation, but even young lawyers aren’t entirely blinded by dollar bills. They pay attention to how the firm treats the older lawyers and they can pick up on whether the firm’s actions are genuine or cynical.

Patterson may have a lot of reasons for not raising salaries. But none of them are good enough to withstand the bad taste holding out might leave in a recruit’s mouth.

Remember, when your firm matches, please text us (646-820-8477) or email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Matches Cravath”). Please include the memo if available. You can take a photo of the memo and send it via text or email if you don’t want to forward the original PDF or Word file.

Earlier: Angry Associates Ask ‘Where’s My Money?’
Let’s Hear From The Furious Associates At Firms That Haven’t Matched!


Joe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.


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