With Cravath's Approval, Top Firm Shows Up To Announce Higher Pay Scale For Associates

This news came almost immediately after Cravath signed off on the new salary scale.

Now that Cravath has spoken on the new associate compensation scale, we can expect matches to start rolling out at warp speed across Biglaw. If your firm hasn’t adopted the Davis Polk salary scale yet, you better get ready, because that match could be coming any time now.

Shortly after Cravath signed on to $205K base salaries, another leading law firm quickly made its announcement. Paul Weiss — a firm ranked at No. 20 on the most recent Am Law 100, having brought in $1,543,730,000 gross revenue in 2020 — delighted associates last night with a match of its own.

This is what the new salary scale looks like at the firm (full memo on next page):

  • 2020: $205,000
  • 2019: $215,000
  • 2018: $240,000
  • 2017: $275,000
  • 2016: $305,000
  • 2015: $330,000
  • 2014: $350,000
  • 2013+: $365,000

It’s worth noting that the firm’s prior salary scale from 2018 included a bump for ninth-year associates. Instead of making $375,000 (a compensation level that’s been instituted at only three other firms thus far), they’ll be included with the class year beneath them at $365,000, which is nothing to sneeze at. As a plus, Paul Weiss will be raising summer associate salaries to match the class of 2020.

Congratulations to everyone at the firm!

(Flip to the next page to see the full memo from Paul Weiss.)

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Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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