After associate base salaries were raised by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett on January 22, 2007, with starting salaries for entry-level associates increasing from $145,000 to $160,000, it took almost a decade of stagnant salaries for further action to be taken on behalf of associates.
This past summer, Cravath Swaine & Moore announced that it would raise base salaries for associates, with entry-level associates seeing their pay increased from $160,000 to $180,000. Associates across the country rejoiced as many of their firms quickly fell in line with the new status quo.
While we still generally rely upon the New York market as the agent of change for associate salaries, there are other firms that have been paying associates well above the previous market rate of $160,000, and some that have been paying associates well above the new market rate of $180,000. Today, we look to the West Coast to find a firm that’s bumped up its first-year salaries not once, but twice in the past nine months.
[QUIZ] Unlock More Time In Your Day With A Smarter Workflow
See how much time your firm could be saving. Use our free law firm time savings calculator to uncover efficiency gains and take control of your day.
Which firm could it be?
It’s none other than Dovel & Luner, a California litigation boutique that specializes in plaintiff-side patent litigation on a contingency fee basis. The firm has nine lawyers (three of whom are associates), but if you look at their bios, you’ll see a glittering array of top law schools, elite clerkships, and leading Biglaw firms in their backgrounds.
The firm is tiny, but its salary structure sure is mighty. Check out the latest pay scale:
1st year: $200,000
2nd year: $210,000
3rd year: $230,000
4th year: $255,000
5th year: $280,000
6th year: $300,000
Why Better Billing Statements Can Improve Your Firm’s Finances—And Your Client Relationships
Outdated billing is costing law firms money. Discover how clear, modern billing practices boost profits, trust, and cash flow in 2025.
The firm’s bonuses are nothing to sneeze at, either. In 2016, like every year before it, Dovel & Luner’s bonuses exceeded the market scale. The firm’s first-year associate received a bonus of $70,000, its second-year associate received a bonus of $130,000, and its fourth-year associate received a bonus of $230,000.
Dovel & Luner’s first-year salary increase to $200K may not move the needle for Biglaw firms nationwide, but it may certainly have an impact on certain other firms that are either comparable to Dovel & Luner, are members of the $180K-Plus Club, or both. If you’re interested in making more money than your peers, here is a listing of those firms (please email us or text us (646-820-8477) if any of these numbers are outdated):
- Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors (successor to Bickel & Brewer): First-year salary of $185,000
- Desmarais LLP: First-year salary of $200,000
- McKool Smith: First-year compensation package of $192,500
- Susman & Godfrey: “First-year” salary of $190,000 (all associates arrive with at least one year of clerkship experience)
- Wachtell Lipton: First-year salary of $185,000
- Williams & Connolly: First-year salary of $200,000
- Kellogg Huber: First-year salary of $225,000
We wish you the very best of luck if you try to land a job at one of these firms, since it will likely prove to be a very difficult endeavor given their exacting standards.
Congratulations to Dovel & Luner for raising its first-year salary to the vaunted number of $200,000. What an achievement! We hope to see more firms follow in its footsteps.
Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.