How much do big law partners make?
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Anonymous
| All these DH’s. Hope there are some women out there! |
Anonymous
| Given the years of long hours and stress, what is the life expectancy of law partners? Do many die early? I’m serious/not trolling. |
Anonymous
I don’t think you know what you’re wishing for. This is not a motherhood friendly life. |
Anonymous
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I was an equity partner at a well known DC firm before retiring early nearly a decade ago. I made $450k as a first year partner nearly 20 years ago and my pay quickly doubled in a few short years before leveling out because I wasn’t a rainmaker and my heart was never in it. Still, I made enough money in my ten or so years as a partner to walk away with a very nice nest egg.
Honestly, all of the non-partners who talk about the expenses of being a partner (health care etc) are engaging in wishful thinking. They’re nothing compared to the pay. Equity partners come out well ahead every time. |
Anonymous
Good for you. I was always perplexed as to why more of them don’t do what you did and retire early. None of them seemed particularly happy and I could for sure if I was making that much. I guess it’s probably some combination of lifestyle inflation and their identities being intertwined with the job. |
Anonymous
Given that most of these law partners have 3-4 kids most have SAHM or very flexible job moms. Hard to have a lot of kids and be a big law mom. Obviously some people do it but it’s hard. |
Anonymous
| Just to add. DH is 40, made partner at 33. I met him when he was a 2nd year associate. I soon learned how intense the job can be. He's at a big firm with an incentive and lockstep structure. 2021 and 2022 were $2M years for him. Average for his class year was around $1.5M. |
Anonymous
Yes, they like having a bunch of kids to have as props at galas and events the firm hosts, as well as to make the family look good. Actual day to day parenting? LOL |
Anonymous
Most women that I know had to switch career paths due to childcare. Big law is just not a conducive track if you want to be an attentive parent. IMO people are harder on women who don't want to pursue intense career tracks to care for families. I regularly get comments about my choices - from other attys - insinuating that I somehow failed in my career because I wanted to WFH and care for the kids. I understand that working mothers want different things but there does seem to be an odd disdain for those that want to go for alternative careers. |
Anonymous
Entirely firm dependent. |
Anonymous
| How prestigious is Big Law in DC? In the Bay Area, it was viewed as a very good but second tier job type for the area. I think a higher-stress orthodontist might be the best comparison. There were a couple of exceptions based on particular firms but it wasn't going to impress many people at a cocktail party (and you were rarely going to be close to the wealthiest or highest income in the room as an attorney). |
Anonymous
Sorry you don’t make as much money as a BigLaw partner. |
Anonymous
| If more women did it, salaries would be lower. That's how things work. |
Anonymous
I do just fine  I didn't know service industry jobs were so well respected in DC though.
Is Big Law really toward the top of the pyramid here though? It honestly isn't out west or even in NYC where Wall Street dominates. Before moving here, I had heard there were a lot of lawyers comparatively so maybe it is different. This also isn't the same type of hub for huge $$ industries like the New York (finance) and the Bay Area (tech). The lawyers really might be among the biggest earners here. |
Anonymous
How long have you lived here, two weeks? Do you ever branch out from behind your computer? If you really have to ask whether being at the top of the legal profession in the nation’s capital - a town built on making and enforcing laws - is considered “prestigious” - then I don’t know what to tell you. |