Biglaw

Surprise Raises From Unexpected Firm

Not everyone needs $190K to be happy.

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The Am Law 100 firms mostly fall into line with the elite market pay scale in order to keep pace with the elite firms in terms of recruiting talent. Mostly. But beyond the top 100, it’s not expected or necessary to keep pace because these firms staff themselves differently, drawing from different law schools and waiting to gather hotshot talent on the lateral market who seek longer-term benefits than a quick influx of cash.

So associates at Quarles & Brady weren’t expecting to hear any news at all about their salaries when management shocked them with a $10K across-the-board raise for all associates in all offices with no strings attached. For firms with offices in places like Indianapolis and Tucson, that’s a nice summer gift for an associate. For associates in Chicago and D.C., this puts their compensation at $160K before any performance bonus and associates elsewhere in the country will be on a $140K scale.

It’s another sign that the upward pressure on salaries doesn’t require everyone to crucify themselves on the cross of $190K gold. There are known and sustainable salary price points in the legal market. People don’t need to overthink this, they just need to keep proportionally on pace.

Congratulations to everyone at Quarles & Brady.

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UPDATE: An earlier version of this story had the wrong salary info for non-Chicago or D.C. offices.

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HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior 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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