Law Partner Salary

[Anonymous]

What the range for law firm partner compensation for big law, not top 20 vault prestige, but large law firms like Venable, troutman, etc in non corporate practice area.

[Anonymous]

Really varies from firm to firm but outside of the top firms I’d say probably starts at around $300k but can go much higher - will likely be very dependent on your book.

[Anonymous]

Venable profits per partner is about $1.4 million. Troutman is about $1.9. Of course, this is equity, not NEP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Venable profits per partner is about $1.4 million. Troutman is about $1.9. Of course, this is equity, not NEP.

So do u get profit per partner as compensation? Not sure what NEP is?

[Anonymous]

DH is $1.3-4 for a lower-lucrative practice, bills less than 1500.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH is $1.3-4 for a lower-lucrative practice, bills less than 1500.

this is such a dream. I’d love to do this. Does he get to wfh too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Venable profits per partner is about $1.4 million. Troutman is about $1.9. Of course, this is equity, not NEP.

So do u get profit per partner as compensation? Not sure what NEP is?

That’s what the average equity partner brings home. Profits are the compensation (usually there’s a monthly draw and then a big “bonus” EOY). Non equity partner isn’t a real partner. They’re paid a salary and bonus. There’s much less transparency around non equity partner pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH is $1.3-4 for a lower-lucrative practice, bills less than 1500.

this is such a dream. I’d love to do this. Does he get to wfh too?

He can, but doesn’t like to because he’s shut off at home. Leaves between 8-9am and home for dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH is $1.3-4 for a lower-lucrative practice, bills less than 1500.

this is such a dream. I’d love to do this. Does he get to wfh too?

He can, but doesn’t like to because he’s shut off at home. Leaves between 8-9am and home for dinner.

This sounds wonderful. What kind of law does he practice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH is $1.3-4 for a lower-lucrative practice, bills less than 1500.

Wow here i am sloggin at in house

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH is $1.3-4 for a lower-lucrative practice, bills less than 1500.

International tax law?

[Anonymous]

Honestly I thought it ranged from 500k to 900k for non corporate practice areas!

[Anonymous]

The variation is huge. The PPP number is an average across equity partners, but an increasingly small number of partners are equity. Even then, you can have a few rainmaker partners who take home much higher numbers and so some are taking much less. For non-equity partners, in Cravath-scale firms the bottom end is usually very close to senior associate level (so around $500). But the firms you mentioned are not Cravath-scale firms (meaning they do pay their first and probably second year associates on the scale, but after that it’s black box and will be much less and/or bonuses will be less). So the pay for their junior non-equity partners could be around $300. I joined one of the lower AmLaw100 firms as a NEP a few years ago and my offer was $350 plus bonus tied to my book which could have significantly raised it. I wasn’t good at building my book, though, so I left to go inhouse where I now make substantially more, and I don’t have to worry about business development any more, which I am happy about!

[Anonymous]

In 2024 there were 138 large firms with over $1m average profits for equity partners. Went up to $9m average. Generally the top partner will be about 3-5x the average. So if the average is $2m, the top partner is probably $8m, maybe $10m.

[Anonymous]

My DH is a non equity partner (just to give you a base point) at a top 100 firm (but bottom 50). He makes $575k and the last few years has made a $200-250k bonus. So all one $775-$825k.