Got a biglaw offer, but the pay seems low

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm a government paralegal and I make 110k (gs 13/7)...

Are you a supervisory paralegal? I have worked at 2 Fed agencies and at both only supervisory paralegals were 13s.

Nope! Supervisory Paralegal specialist are 14's at my agency. I've been a paralegal for 13 years though

[Anonymous]

So what is true Biglaw senior associate salary? Base+bonus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This must be a troll but I'm trolled.

Wilson Elser, Jackson Lewis, and Littler Mendelson are not big law. They are big firms but pay compressed scales, are highly leveraged, and do a lot of fixed fee flat work.

Huh? I was at Littler before I went inhouse and made significantly more than 90k even as a first year.

That said OP, if you're not a troll, Id sniff around for more on Wilson Elser...there is plenty out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what is true Biglaw senior associate salary? Base+bonus?

6th years are 280k

7th years are 300k

9th year 325k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You've been practicing law for three years, and you thought posting this was a good idea?

Lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what is true Biglaw senior associate salary? Base+bonus?

6th years are 280k

7th years are 300k

9th year 325k

Thanks! What about bonuses? Or they vary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a Catholic grad who has worked for the government and big law and as in house council. There's no reason to think you can't have a great job.

So you know someone who graduated in the top 10% (~20 out of about 170) and was on law review! Seems like quite the gamble.

I went to Catholic and graduated in the mid-2000s, and I am in-house counsel at a very well-respected large company based in DC. I graduated in the middle to the bottom of my class. Most of my friends are doing well -- one of my closest friends is SVP of a bank and another is a partner at a big law firm in DC. Granted, I graduated in one of the last years where the market for attorneys was actually good, so the quality of graduates was probably higher there than it is now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm a government paralegal and I make 110k (gs 13/7)...

Are you a supervisory paralegal? I have worked at 2 Fed agencies and at both only supervisory paralegals were 13s.

Nope! Supervisory Paralegal specialist are 14's at my agency. I've been a paralegal for 13 years though

Another former government paralegal here. Made over a
$100k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As of this year true big law in DC is $175k-180K for first years.

With no experience. So ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

I make +$90 and work 1500 hrs/year (that includes paid lunch and paid planning time). I'm a teacher. To think I could make this working 60+ hrs a week working "big" law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a Catholic grad who has worked for the government and big law and as in house council. There's no reason to think you can't have a great job.

So you know someone who graduated in the top 10% (~20 out of about 170) and was on law review! Seems like quite the gamble.

I went to Catholic and graduated in the mid-2000s, and I am in-house counsel at a very well-respected large company based in DC. I graduated in the middle to the bottom of my class. Most of my friends are doing well -- one of my closest friends is SVP of a bank and another is a partner at a big law firm in DC. Granted, I graduated in one of the last years where the market for attorneys was actually good, so the quality of graduates was probably higher there than it is now.

You are part of the problem. Next time I run into a Catholic grad on the doc review circuit I'll let you know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a Catholic grad who has worked for the government and big law and as in house council. There's no reason to think you can't have a great job.

So you know someone who graduated in the top 10% (~20 out of about 170) and was on law review! Seems like quite the gamble.

I went to Catholic and graduated in the mid-2000s, and I am in-house counsel at a very well-respected large company based in DC. I graduated in the middle to the bottom of my class. Most of my friends are doing well -- one of my closest friends is SVP of a bank and another is a partner at a big law firm in DC. Granted, I graduated in one of the last years where the market for attorneys was actually good, so the quality of graduates was probably higher there than it is now.

I hope you didn't pay full tuition, though

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a Catholic grad who has worked for the government and big law and as in house council. There's no reason to think you can't have a great job.

So you know someone who graduated in the top 10% (~20 out of about 170) and was on law review! Seems like quite the gamble.

I went to Catholic and graduated in the mid-2000s, and I am in-house counsel at a very well-respected large company based in DC. I graduated in the middle to the bottom of my class. Most of my friends are doing well -- one of my closest friends is SVP of a bank and another is a partner at a big law firm in DC. Granted, I graduated in one of the last years where the market for attorneys was actually good, so the quality of graduates was probably higher there than it is now.

This - its been so radically different since 09.

[Anonymous]

These days someone in the top 15% at catholic is probably screwed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a Catholic grad who has worked for the government and big law and as in house council. There's no reason to think you can't have a great job.

So you know someone who graduated in the top 10% (~20 out of about 170) and was on law review! Seems like quite the gamble.

I went to Catholic and graduated in the mid-2000s, and I am in-house counsel at a very well-respected large company based in DC. I graduated in the middle to the bottom of my class. Most of my friends are doing well -- one of my closest friends is SVP of a bank and another is a partner at a big law firm in DC. Granted, I graduated in one of the last years where the market for attorneys was actually good, so the quality of graduates was probably higher there than it is now.

Hello, fellow classmate. I also went to Catholic in this time frame. We may have been one of the last few graduating classes FROM ANY LAW SCHOOL to have a better than decent chance of landing a job we actually wanted (or a job period). I am in biglaw and most of my law school classmates are also doing very well. Nobody gives a shit what law school I went to at my firm because I do good work. And also because nobody gives a shit what law school you went to or what journal you were on or what your class rank was after the first few years of practice.