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Law firm"career associates"
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Anonymous
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For those of you who regularly read/post on law firm life, did you see the article in NY Times about big firms with "career associates" in places like Wheeling, West Virginia? Thoughts?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/business/24lawyers.html?_r=1 |
Anonymous
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I think the big-firm model is going to implode, but we shall see. it is a pyramid scam, that only works if the associates move up and then the non-equity partners move up. If there is not enough chance at the brass ring (big $$) then it falls under its own weight.
but in this market, I guess they are getting away with it. |
Anonymous
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Well if you are pulling down $60k in Wheeling you're living reasonably well. Also, it lets you work 40-45 hours a week.
Only losers are folks who're still taking on six-figure debt and graduating with middling grades and/or from middling schools. |
Anonymous
| Coming from a big law firm, I think there are a number of partner track associates who wouldn't mind being a "career associate." But, you'd have to live in Wheeling to accept that kind of pay. Ouch! I'd think that in DC, something around the 100k mark may be more reasonable. |
Anonymous
| I saw the article and thought it was sad. $60k is not a good salary for someone who has gone through all of that schooling. Even public law schools aren't cheap. |
Anonymous
| I am pretty sure that some DC big law firms are doing exactly this already. I know two people who are "staff attorneys" rather than associates and are listed that way on their firms' websites. My understanding is that the salary is decent for DC, definitely not as low as the $40-60k cited in the article. |
Anonymous
Gee, lots of governmetn and in house lawyers with more than ten years' experience work full time and make not much more than $100K. |
Anonymous
| Exactly. In my view, these career associates should be paid about the same amount as a gov't lawyer or an inhouse attorney. Maybe a little less if they don't have any experience. |
Anonymous
| It doesn't sound all that bad to me. Not for everyone, but a good fit for a mom/dad who wants to spend more time with their kids. |
Anonymous
| I left big law 3 years ago and the primary reason for my departure was the dog eat dog pressure to move up or out and the crazy hours that resulted from the model. I LOVED the work but had no desire to do business development. I would have been very happy to be a career associate (with a fixed schedule) and would have done it for what I currently earn as a govt lawyer ($160k). |
Anonymous
| Ouch! How is 60K a decent salary for a D.C. attorney? I am a non-attorney with a B.S. in Legal Studies and a mere five years experience and I was making $90K in Memphis, Tennessee. And that salary wasn't unusual for the area. |
Anonymous
I make $100K for a 24 hour workweek in-house. |
Anonymous
| I think the article got it wrong. This is the equivalent of outsourcing to India. It's not "non-partner tracked" associates, which are associates that are given the option to bill something like, 1600 hours instead of 2000. Or 1500 instead of 1800. I'm not sure what the numbers are, but a few firms came out with this model a few years ago and paid those non-partner tracked associates less, but not a TON less. I believe it was something like 120K or 13K0 to start, instead of 160. This article is just ridiculous. |