Second Firm Matches The New Milbank Salary Scale

Associates at the firm are very happy.

Time is money billable hoursWell, well, well, if it isn’t the second firm to match Milbank’s new salary scale. The Biglaw market seems to be moving reasonably quickly in response to Milbank’s move to $215,000 in first-year associate compensation.

Just a few short hours after the associate salary raises were announced, yet another firm is stepping up to the plate and matching the new market standard. McDermott Will & Emery just tossed its hat in the ring to announce the firm will be bumping up associate salaries by $10,000 – $20,000, depending on class year. If you recall, McDermott was the first firm to match Milbank’s largesse this past summer.

MWE Raise Scale 2022

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

Remember everyone, we depend on your tips to stay on top of this stuff. So when your firm matches, please text us (646-820-8477) or email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Matches Milbank”). 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.

And if you’d like to sign up for ATL’s Bonus Alerts (which is the alert list we’ll also use for salary announcements), please scroll down and enter your email address in the box below this post. If you previously signed up for the bonus alerts, you don’t need to do anything. You’ll receive an email notification within minutes of each bonus announcement that we publish.


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.


Bonus Time

Enter your email address to sign up for ATL's Bonus & Salary Increase Alerts.