For most of the legal industry, the question remains whether firms will match Milbank’s new associate salary scale. But among the nation’s most elite litigation boutiques, a different benchmark is beginning to emerge — the recently announced Susman Godfrey scale. For these firms, matching Milbank may no longer be the end goal.
Earlier this week, Susman raised associate salaries to as much as $450,000, with first-year associates now earning $240,000. The move put the famed litigation shop above the prevailing market rate and created what appears to be a second compensation track for firms looking to compete for the very best talent.
It didn’t take long for another firm to sign on.
Commercial litigation boutique Holwell Shuster & Goldberg has announced that it will match the Susman scale, becoming the first firm we’ve seen adopt the new pay grid. Here’s what the firm’s updated salary scale looks like:
Members of the firm’s management committee — former Southern District of New York Judge Richard Holwell, Mike Shuster, Dan Goldberg, and Blair Kaminsky — closed their compensation memo with a note of appreciation for associates: “On behalf of the entire partnership, we want to thank you for your hard work, your commitment to providing top-tier legal services to our clients, and for continuing to make HSG a very special place to practice law.”
Congratulations to everyone at Holwell Shuster & Goldberg!
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Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of 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 Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.