How much do big law partners make?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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).

Sorry you don’t make as much money as a BigLaw partner.

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]

Anonymous wrote: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).

It's much more prestigious here because it's more important to the DC economy. In SF it's all about founders. In DC it's all about powerful political access. Which biglaw lawyers often have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these DH’s. Hope there are some women out there!

I don’t think you know what you’re wishing for. This is not a motherhood friendly life.

Entirely firm dependent.

I was at one of the most mommy friendly firms in town (Arnold & Porter) and I still don't wonder at all why more women aren't partners in the industry. It's pretty obvious why.

[Anonymous]

My nephew is a partner at Polk Davis in NYC. Earns from $4.6m annually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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).

Sorry you don’t make as much money as a BigLaw partner.

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.

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.

Isn't Big Law a really wide grouping though? I wasn't under the impression that being a generic Big Law partner was the top of the legal profession here. Is it? If you are a partner at Wachtell, it is a huge deal in NYC but very few are going to be impressed by just being a partner at most firms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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).

Sorry you don’t make as much money as a BigLaw partner.

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.

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.

Isn't Big Law a really wide grouping though? I wasn't under the impression that being a generic Big Law partner was the top of the legal profession here. Is it? If you are a partner at Wachtell, it is a huge deal in NYC but very few are going to be impressed by just being a partner at most firms.

DC is totally different than NYC where finance is on top. Law really is close to the top of the pyramid in DC.

[Anonymous]

“Partner comp is much or often in the range of 600k-2m.”

This has been my experience as a partner in two amlaw100 firms, though this is more equity partner pay and non-equity can start in the mid300s though 400+ is more likely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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).

Sorry you don’t make as much money as a BigLaw partner.

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.

????

It must be an SF thing. As someone else said, it is all about founding and making/building there.
Lawyers are technically service providers. Ask any of us about our most demanding clients !

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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).

Sorry you don’t make as much money as a BigLaw partner.

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.

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.

Isn't Big Law a really wide grouping though? I wasn't under the impression that being a generic Big Law partner was the top of the legal profession here. Is it? If you are a partner at Wachtell, it is a huge deal in NYC but very few are going to be impressed by just being a partner at most firms.

Just stop already. You sound ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My nephew is a partner at Polk Davis in NYC. Earns from $4.6m annually.

Davis Polk is a lockstep comp firm, where seniority is very important to total comp. Fairly rare.

[Anonymous]

Only about 20% of biglaw equity partners are women so you are going to have more DHs in that group. I have been an equity partner for over 20 years and have 3 kids - it's possible if you have a supportive spouse. I waited to have kids until after I made equity back in the day would have been almost impossible to make it with children - I think that's changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only about 20% of biglaw equity partners are women so you are going to have more DHs in that group. I have been an equity partner for over 20 years and have 3 kids - it's possible if you have a supportive spouse. I waited to have kids until after I made equity back in the day would have been almost impossible to make it with children - I think that's changed.

Good to hear! Now that you've been in that position for a while, have you been able to drive significant change in your firm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only about 20% of biglaw equity partners are women so you are going to have more DHs in that group. I have been an equity partner for over 20 years and have 3 kids - it's possible if you have a supportive spouse. I waited to have kids until after I made equity back in the day would have been almost impossible to make it with children - I think that's changed.

It definitely has changed in the sense that firms seem to specifically want to make moms partner. When I went out on leave with my 3rd, some people joked they would make me partner while I was out before I could think to turn it down, because that's become such a thing. (Instead, they made me Counsel right when I got back.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only about 20% of biglaw equity partners are women so you are going to have more DHs in that group. I have been an equity partner for over 20 years and have 3 kids - it's possible if you have a supportive spouse. I waited to have kids until after I made equity back in the day would have been almost impossible to make it with children - I think that's changed.

I think that firms invented non-equity partners to cure the female representation problem. I bet that the share of equity partners is much smaller than 20%.

[Anonymous]

Women partners work even harder and take on more firm responsibilities. Their male counterparts will probably be the first to admit it. There are not many though as work is your lifestyle.