Top Revenue Firm Hops On Associate Raise Train
Good news isn't any less good just because it's expected.
(Image via Getty)
After Milbank announced a new associate salary scale, a lot of firms just… kind of sat on their hands. Weeks passed with only a trickle of matches as everyone waited to see if Milbank had really offered the last word on compensation. Davis Polk finally broke that logjam and now Kirkland’s decided to follow suit.
During the salary interregnum, Kirkland sent an all-hands email announcing a new return-to-office strategy, frustrating lawyers who understandably didn’t want to hear about heading back to their desks while the rest of the market discussed raises. That unforced error can no be swept under the bridge as the firm finally tells attorneys what they wanted to hear all along:
[UPDATE: Totally stupid me. I had written that it wasn’t clear when these numbers take effect. But the text of the memo mentions nothing about being retroactive because it’s RIGHT THERE IN THE CHART.]
No one ever thought Kirkland would stiff lawyers. The firm has too much money and too much at stake in the battle for talent to sit out a raise. But no one can really rest easy until firms make it official. Kirkland associates can sleep well tonight.
Or, not sleep. Maybe… “Kirkland associates can continue frantically editing from their desks well tonight.”
Joe 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. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.
