Biglaw salaries just keep going up, up, up. Much like the viral Huntrix anthem that’s been stuck in everyone’s head, compensation in the legal industry seems determined to hit ever higher notes. The only question now is which firm will be the next to join the chorus and send associate pay soaring even further.
Earlier today, Milbank announced it was upping the compensation stakes for associates, increasing its salary scale by an impressive $10,000 to $20,000, depending on class year. Now McDermott Will & Schulte — less than a year after its merger — is here with its own salary news, announcing that the firm will be matching Milbank’s new compensation grid. Attorneys at the firm are thrilled about the super-quick match.
Here’s what the new salary scale looks like at the firm:
- Class of 2026/2025: $235,000
- Class of 2024: $245,000
- Class of 2023: $270,000
- Class of 2022: $320,000
- Class of 2021: $385,000
- Class of 2020: $410,000
- Class of 2019: $440,000
- Class of 2018: $455,000
Congratulations to everyone at McDermott!
Remember everyone, we depend on your tips to stay on top of compensation updates, so when your firm announces or matches, please text us (646-820-8477) or email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Bonus/Matches”). 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 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. Thanks for your help!
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.