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Firms hold line on first year salaries [by Jim Dunlap] Some large firms cut back, but pay increasing in smaller offices.
Climbing first-year associate salaries have
services director at the University of Chicago
indicated they would be the same or slightly
reached a plateau at large firms, while
School of Law. “We haven’t seen salaries go
higher in 2003.
starting offers from small to mid-size firms
down.”
are inching upward slightly, according to the
At the University of Texas in Austin, assistant
2003 Salary Guide produced by The Affiliates
Downs reported that 2002 Chicago graduates
dean of career services Kathryn Richardson
legal staffing firm.
joining large firms received average start-
said she had not detected any salary roll-
ing salaries in the $125,000 range and said
backs, with firms in the Texas market aver-
The 2003 guide actually reports a 6.8 percent
early indications are that 2003 offers will be
aging $90,000 to start, from a low of $40,000
decline in starting salaries for large firms
similar.
to $50,000 to a high of $140,000.
decline for mid-size firms of 35 to 75 attor-
Douglas Masters, hiring attorney with the
This story appeared in the January 2003
neys. At the same time, smaller firm salaries
Pattishall, McAuliffe boutique firm in Chica-
edition of The National Jurist, www.nation-
increased by an average of 2 percent. Those
go, said his small to mid-size firm’s salaries
aljurist.com.
figures are based strictly on starting salary
have been flat for first-year associates.
(more than 75 attorneys) and a 3.6 percent
compensation and do not include bonuses, profit sharing or other incentives that may
“We don’t anticipate an increase - we would
impact total first year compensation.
only do so if there was pressure to do it to remain competitive,” Masters said.
Salary data used by The Affiliates was compiled through the company’s job searches,
Beth Kirch, director of legal career services
candidate placements and salary negotia-
at the University of Georgia, said that despite
tions and did not identify individual firms.
a hiring slowdown in some practice areas,
Perhaps not surprisingly, the large national
salaries have held firm at the big firms, while
firms contacted by The National Jurist re-
actually increasing at smaller firms in the
ported their salary levels as flat, although
Southeast.
several said they had heard that other large firms were cutting back.
“It’s been holding steady,” Kirch said. “In almost 20 years in the field, I’ve never seen
Law school career services professionals
salaries roll back - they tend to hold steady
reported that while they have not seen major
for a few years and then escalate again. In
changes in starting salaries yet, some firms
Atlanta, small firms are not paying the six-
have either cut back slightly on hiring or
digit salaries larger firms are, but they’re
pushed back start dates. Some 2L summer
trying to go after the same students, so they
associates found their hours cut back - a few
have to raise their salaries somewhat.”
by as much as half - as firms trimmed salary overhead.
Marcia Cook, recruiting manager for the national Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin
“For the ones coming back with offers
firm, said that firm starting salaries were ap-
[from last summer], the salary seems to be
proximately $80,000 in Kansas City, Mo., and
about the same,” said Diane Downs, career
$90,000 in the St. Louis market in 2002. She
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