Big law - salaries

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are in a V100 firm and bring in between $3-4 million a year how much would you expect to be paid?

I am an attorney but not big law - genuine question: shouldn't you know how much you will be paid? or at least have an idea? is this someone speculating about someone else's salary?

I'm guessing OP is a wife who thinks her husband should be making more.

A lot of these big law compensation threads seem to be wives trying to understand how much money their man can/should make. The implication is that they need or covet more. Gross.

[Anonymous]

It’s all going to come down to the culture and financial model of your firm. Some are very formulaic about comp even for equity partners. Some are more understanding about “slow years” than others. Etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are in a V100 firm and bring in between $3-4 million a year how much would you expect to be paid?

DH has been with a V20 firm for five years since graduating from Stanford with a J.D. / Ph.D. combo. Started as an associate based in San Francisco making $250K base + $50K bonus, billing about 2000 hours per year. By year 3, DH was offered a non-equity partnership position making about $475K base + $190K bonus but with billing down to about 1500 hours on much higher profile clients. At year 5, DH is now an equity partner with a substantial book of business and has relocated with his firm to D.C. The buy-in to equity, relocation expenses, and country club skip-the-line membership to Congressional was waived as part of his prior year bonus and we’re now looking at an anticipated total compensation of about $1.8M in 2025. His billable hours are down to about 1200 this year, but he’s also bringing in nearly $9M, mostly IP law representation for high-end corporate clients in AI and tech.

Hope this helps, OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are in a V100 firm and bring in between $3-4 million a year how much would you expect to be paid?

DH has been with a V20 firm for five years since graduating from Stanford with a J.D. / Ph.D. combo. Started as an associate based in San Francisco making $250K base + $50K bonus, billing about 2000 hours per year. By year 3, DH was offered a non-equity partnership position making about $475K base + $190K bonus but with billing down to about 1500 hours on much higher profile clients. At year 5, DH is now an equity partner with a substantial book of business and has relocated with his firm to D.C. The buy-in to equity, relocation expenses, and country club skip-the-line membership to Congressional was waived as part of his prior year bonus and we’re now looking at an anticipated total compensation of about $1.8M in 2025. His billable hours are down to about 1200 this year, but he’s also bringing in nearly $9M, mostly IP law representation for high-end corporate clients in AI and tech.

Hope this helps, OP!

This is an extreme extreme outlier (if even true.) OP should not read this as a typical or common path to partnership. Even for big law all-stars the path is 7-8 years from law school to non-equity partnership and another year or two minimum to equity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are in a V100 firm and bring in between $3-4 million a year how much would you expect to be paid?

DH has been with a V20 firm for five years since graduating from Stanford with a J.D. / Ph.D. combo. Started as an associate based in San Francisco making $250K base + $50K bonus, billing about 2000 hours per year. By year 3, DH was offered a non-equity partnership position making about $475K base + $190K bonus but with billing down to about 1500 hours on much higher profile clients. At year 5, DH is now an equity partner with a substantial book of business and has relocated with his firm to D.C. The buy-in to equity, relocation expenses, and country club skip-the-line membership to Congressional was waived as part of his prior year bonus and we’re now looking at an anticipated total compensation of about $1.8M in 2025. His billable hours are down to about 1200 this year, but he’s also bringing in nearly $9M, mostly IP law representation for high-end corporate clients in AI and tech.

Hope this helps, OP!

[Anonymous]

In this thread I learn that my boyfriend must make a lot of money holy cow.

I cannot even conceptualize that amount.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are in a V100 firm and bring in between $3-4 million a year how much would you expect to be paid?

DH has been with a V20 firm for five years since graduating from Stanford with a J.D. / Ph.D. combo. Started as an associate based in San Francisco making $250K base + $50K bonus, billing about 2000 hours per year. By year 3, DH was offered a non-equity partnership position making about $475K base + $190K bonus but with billing down to about 1500 hours on much higher profile clients. At year 5, DH is now an equity partner with a substantial book of business and has relocated with his firm to D.C. The buy-in to equity, relocation expenses, and country club skip-the-line membership to Congressional was waived as part of his prior year bonus and we’re now looking at an anticipated total compensation of about $1.8M in 2025. His billable hours are down to about 1200 this year, but he’s also bringing in nearly $9M, mostly IP law representation for high-end corporate clients in AI and tech.


Hope this helps, OP!

🤣

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are in a V100 firm and bring in between $3-4 million a year how much would you expect to be paid?

DH has been with a V20 firm for five years since graduating from Stanford with a J.D. / Ph.D. combo. Started as an associate based in San Francisco making $250K base + $50K bonus, billing about 2000 hours per year. By year 3, DH was offered a non-equity partnership position making about $475K base + $190K bonus but with billing down to about 1500 hours on much higher profile clients. At year 5, DH is now an equity partner with a substantial book of business and has relocated with his firm to D.C. The buy-in to equity, relocation expenses, and country club skip-the-line membership to Congressional was waived as part of his prior year bonus and we’re now looking at an anticipated total compensation of about $1.8M in 2025. His billable hours are down to about 1200 this year, but he’s also bringing in nearly $9M, mostly IP law representation for high-end corporate clients in AI and tech.

Hope this helps, OP!

That sound very specific and easily googled

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In this thread I learn that my boyfriend must make a lot of money holy cow.

I cannot even conceptualize that amount.

If he’s an associate in biglaw his salary is on a known scale you can lookup. If he’s a partner, assume he makes at least as much as an 8th year associate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In this thread I learn that my boyfriend must make a lot of money holy cow.

I cannot even conceptualize that amount.

If he’s an associate in biglaw his salary is on a known scale you can lookup. If he’s a partner, assume he makes at least as much as an 8th year associate.

I just know he's been an equity partner at a v10 firm for 5 years and for lack of the right word, his book of business this last year (brought in? Oversaw? Billed?) was in the top 20% of the firm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are in a V100 firm and bring in between $3-4 million a year how much would you expect to be paid?

DH has been with a V20 firm for five years since graduating from Stanford with a J.D. / Ph.D. combo. Started as an associate based in San Francisco making $250K base + $50K bonus, billing about 2000 hours per year. By year 3, DH was offered a non-equity partnership position making about $475K base + $190K bonus but with billing down to about 1500 hours on much higher profile clients. At year 5, DH is now an equity partner with a substantial book of business and has relocated with his firm to D.C. The buy-in to equity, relocation expenses, and country club skip-the-line membership to Congressional was waived as part of his prior year bonus and we’re now looking at an anticipated total compensation of about $1.8M in 2025. His billable hours are down to about 1200 this year, but he’s also bringing in nearly $9M, mostly IP law representation for high-end corporate clients in AI and tech.

Hope this helps, OP!

That sound very specific and easily googled

You can easily go on the V20 websites and see there are no partners (equity or non-equity) that are only 5 years out of law school. This doesn't happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are in a V100 firm and bring in between $3-4 million a year how much would you expect to be paid?

DH has been with a V20 firm for five years since graduating from Stanford with a J.D. / Ph.D. combo. Started as an associate based in San Francisco making $250K base + $50K bonus, billing about 2000 hours per year. By year 3, DH was offered a non-equity partnership position making about $475K base + $190K bonus but with billing down to about 1500 hours on much higher profile clients. At year 5, DH is now an equity partner with a substantial book of business and has relocated with his firm to D.C. The buy-in to equity, relocation expenses, and country club skip-the-line membership to Congressional was waived as part of his prior year bonus and we’re now looking at an anticipated total compensation of about $1.8M in 2025. His billable hours are down to about 1200 this year, but he’s also bringing in nearly $9M, mostly IP law representation for high-end corporate clients in AI and tech.

Hope this helps, OP!

That sound very specific and easily googled

You can easily go on the V20 websites and see there are no partners (equity or non-equity) that are only 5 years out of law school. This doesn't happen.

Maybe PP fudged the timeline to avoid doxxing? Or DH is child of rainmaker at the same firm so got fast tracked?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are in a V100 firm and bring in between $3-4 million a year how much would you expect to be paid?

I am an attorney but not big law - genuine question: shouldn't you know how much you will be paid? or at least have an idea? is this someone speculating about someone else's salary?

I'm guessing OP is a wife who thinks her husband should be making more.

OP is definitely a woman. A man wouldn't think this way.

-fellow woman

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are in a V100 firm and bring in between $3-4 million a year how much would you expect to be paid?

I am an attorney but not big law - genuine question: shouldn't you know how much you will be paid? or at least have an idea? is this someone speculating about someone else's salary?

I'm guessing OP is a wife who thinks her husband should be making more.

A lot of these big law compensation threads seem to be wives trying to understand how much money their man can/should make. The implication is that they need or covet more. Gross.

I am a big law wife and you couldn't be more wrong. I don't know a single partner's wife who doesn't work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are in a V100 firm and bring in between $3-4 million a year how much would you expect to be paid?

I am an attorney but not big law - genuine question: shouldn't you know how much you will be paid? or at least have an idea? is this someone speculating about someone else's salary?

I'm guessing OP is a wife who thinks her husband should be making more.

A lot of these big law compensation threads seem to be wives trying to understand how much money their man can/should make. The implication is that they need or covet more. Gross.

I am a big law wife and you couldn't be more wrong. I don't know a single partner's wife who doesn't work.

Same - everyone works and have 3-4 kids plus a nanny/au pair.