Tsirf!

I hope my firm is FIRST to match

first

1

1

1st?

2

1

FIRST FIRM TO MATCH?

I am so underpaid . . . .

Hey, no bonus, but hopefully this still eggs someone in NYC to bump a few $k come the new year.

So they went to 5K above "market" back in March - will they continue to be 5K above? In other words, do they anticipate (and do they have reason to anticipate) that the new "market" will be set at 175K soon?

hmmmm.....

D&L to $190K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SCORE!!!

What the HECK is wrong with LAt's servers .. .what kind of off-shore, ghetto, nappy-headed ho, operation is this?!

Jones Day NY sent out bonus letters today. Matched regular and special.

Why is sidley so quiet today? For the non-New Yorkers, today is a big day.

W&C has always paid above market salaries with no bonus... which results in lower total comp when compared to most of DC biglaw. Its no big deal (as FRAT STUD would say).

Skadden to 190k!!!

Hallelujah!

Is there a list out there of DC firms that never matched the original increase to 160? I think there is a huge gap developing in pay scale in DC.

Photo of Latty Boy at Jersey funeral:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/12/nearly_1000_mourners_pushed_th.html

Can we please get an updated list of shame?

williams and conolly is a low rent bucket shop. no bonuses is for suckers. a 7th year at a reputable firm will make
$100k more than they would at that shithole williams and conolly.

i poop on them and pay their low rent partners' hourly rate to clean it then wipe me.

OF course, a 7th year at Williams and conolly will also then actually end up making partner, unlike at most firms. I don't work there, but I get why my friends who do stick around. The brass ring is actually attainable if you can put up with the hours...

What NY firm will move to 180k or 190k first? My bet's on Skadden.

D&L to 190k!!!!!!

Make it hurt! Feel the burn!

Bury the news of your anti-semitism in a ton of cash!

Jones Day DC just sent around bonus letters. Sike, No bonuses, as per usual. TTT firm.

JONES DAY DC = ZERO BONUS, BELOW MARKET SALARIES. DO NOT COME TO THIS FIRM.

i agree that skadden will move to 190 first. aside from wachtel, it understands how best to compensate its lawyers.

And 3:14--all the partners are equity partners, so the pay bump after you make partner is substantial.

W&C went from really below market to just below market. Wow! What pioneers! They're not only tough on opponents, but tough on associates as well. They're still underpaid by about 10k compared to salary + bonus of other DC firms.

3:06 - I have to say I was curious enough to look, but you're a douche for posting that link.

Lat,

I'm very sorry for the loss of your friends and for the tragedy they suffered. My heart goes out to the family; may the victims now rest in peace.

Signed,
An ATL reader

Sadly this isn't very exciting because they DON'T pay bonuses.

The current market NYC Bonus and Base package is much better than this.

D&L to $190K in Nazi Gold!!!

3:19: Right on.

D&L should move to $190K, and fast. The "merger powerhouse" image they've been trying to cultivate isn't working.

It's probably all their associates, who don't mind burning the firm's rep since they're going to take their bonuses (paid late, in February, of course) and haul a$$ to another firm...

3:25 - I have to say I was curious enough to read your post, but you're a douche for posting that sentence.

And yet people are falling over themselves to work at WilCon. Hmmm...must be something more to life than making a bonus, I guess. Like, maybe actually enjoying the work and the people you work with instead of hating life and using terms like "shithole" to describe a firm that is pretty much universally accepted as being among the elite. 3:25, 3:09 are idiot ass clowns.

What is an "ass clown"? Is that different from a clown? And why distinguish those that are idiots? Are there ass clowns that are not idiots?

Just wondering.

skadden trolls!

3:36 is universally accepted as being among the bonusless.

D&L to 1940!

Hey people, keep in mind that W&C also pays below market clerkship bonuses. So all in, a second year associate (at a market-paying firm w/ special bonuses) who clearked will still make close to $50K less at Williams and Connelly. I smell a TTT.

3:19 - JD NY sent around bonus letters and they matched regular and special in NY. You just need to leave crappy DC and transfer offices if you want to get compensated for the higher COL.

Is TTT a good firm?

your all just jealous you can't get the job at a top tier firm like WilCon! keep your money, we have prestige and class.

"your"

AHAHHAHAAHAHHAHAHAAHHAHAAHHAHA

On the Williams and Connelly website, one partner is quoted as saying, ""There is a camaraderie and esprit de corps at Williams & Connolly that is quite special."

I love the use of esprit de corps. It sure sounds like a homely little firm, with all that quite special esprit, if you will.

Can someone confirm Gibson matched in NY?

4:02--I have never once heard anyone at Williams & Connolly call it "WilCon." I don't know whether 3:54 is illiterate or just trolling, but I'll bet that he or she is not actually at the firm.

It is true that W&C's overall compensation package is below what an associate would make at other top-tier DC firms.

But they make up for it in several ways: (1) an increased shot at partnership--the partner:associate ratio is much lower than at other firms, and they don't hire lateral partners; (2) because of this, associates get more substantive work early in their careers--they don't overstaff cases so you get really involved and work closely with a partner, and since all partners come from the associate ranks, they have to give you a chance to prove yourself as an associate, as opposed to using you as a document review drone for 3 years; (3) most of all, though, they make up for it with the attorney dining room, which is free. You can get as many fucking cookies as you can eat--all day, every day--for free. So go ahead and go to Latham with your "market clerkship bonuses" and "end of the year bonuses." I will gladly forego that extra $30k of compensation, because I do it all for the cookies.

that is way too much money. there is something seriously wrong/flawed with the legal profession to pay that much....

180 is A LOT in DC!!!!!!!!!! even without bonus.

Lat,

I'm also very sorry for the loss of your friends and the tragedy. My heart and prayers goes out to the family.

Signed,
Another ATL reader

4:23: Why? I hope you are equally troubled by bankers getting $20,000,000 bonuses every year.

This is probably a good time to remind everyone that the end of the year is fast approaching and we should get those charitable contributions out.

Because you know Legal Aid just raised it's salaries to $18,000.

Overrated: $180K.

Underrated: The realization that $180K isn't really that much money.

Can someone confirm the Gibson Dunn and Jones Day NY rumors? Also, what's the word about Paul Hastings, Goodwin Proctor and Nixon Peabody matching special bonuses????

3:54: your all just jealous you can't get the job at a top tier firm like WilCon! keep your money, we have prestige and class.

And no ability to spell, apparently.

I DID IT ALL FOR THE COOKIES, THE COOKIES

WC pays 70K for two years of clerking and that sounds like market to me.

where my dawg latham at?

3:36 championed the WilCon phrase.

Wow you all a bunch of gossipy teenagers.

W&C went to 165K in February when DC "market" moved to 145K in response to NY going to 160K

They were previously at 150K with DC "market" at 135K.

When DC "market" went to $160K in June, W&C stayed quiet. Now it appears they are just going back to where they were before. $20K over market. No bonuses.

Maybe they were trying to pull the wool over and had a bad recruiting season, who knows, but this is definitely not going to hit off a round of raises. No way, no how.

lathammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, where you at, dawg?

Any word on bonuses at K&E?

Is Cock & Balls a good firm?

Any word on Sidley bonuses?

Kirkland Bonuses are being announced today! Just got my news. WAY ABOVE MARKET CHACHING!!

Anyone know if the summer associate salary this summer will be 180k pro-rated?

any word from Sidley Chicago yet?

Why did they do this after recruiting season? That seems dumb.

I can confirm JD NY announced bonuses today with individual letters. I got regular and special (both payable in January).

Others I know in a variety of class years got regular + special as well.

This is for NY OFFICE only.

I remember the days of making $125k as a first-year and thinking that was a lot of money. Things are borderline silly these days. No law graduate with little to no experience is worth $180k, I don't care if your JD says Harvard, Stanford, or Yale.

This is rediculous

125k doesn't go that far in nyc these days

This is in keeping with the cost of a J.D. + major city COL + endless 80 billable hour weeks + loads of stress.

5:49: I think you have a point, but W&C doesn't really need to step up their game to attract candidates. They already get the cream of the crop every year. Even at a top 10 school, they only take people that are hardcore.

Hey Lat - you might have to work past 5:00 tonight. Looks like there is alot of new bonus news (Kirkland, JD, Gibson????) Can we get some more detailz please?

6:07: But all those people had tons of options. Why would they accept below market when they could go to another top firm and make huge bonuses?

I'm so tired of people saying junior associates are not worth 160k per year or 300 or 400 per hour as the case may be. Is a bottle of water worth 2 dollars? Is a cup of coffee worth five? Is a one-bedroom condo worth half a million? Clients complain about legal bills, but I'm sure they've been racheting up the price of their own goods and services. Partners complain about how they didn't make even close to what we make now when they were associates, but forget that when they were associates partners were not making 7 figures either.

The world is changing, and things are expensive. Everyone needs to just get used to it.

Any info on non-NY JD offices?!

6:24 - none of that stuff is worth those prices

6:15: That's a valid point. But in terms of reputation in litigation and in terms of the door-opening effect for future clerkships and government positions, very few firms are the peer of W&C. I can think of only a few firms of equal caliber: Bartlit Beck, and Keker & Van Nest. W&C is that good. Having them on your resume is that good. This is even more true if you want your long term career to be DC-centric.

I can confirm that C&B failed to match. A lot of associates here are pretty upset.

6:54 -- Add C&B to that list and I'm with you 100%.

saying that a firm "failed to match" is not helpful. can you give an indication of by how much they failed to match?

6:57: I'm not so sure that C&B is 100% a peer of W&C, though it's close. C&B is law review from a Top 10. W&C is law review and magna from a Top 10. The standard caveat is that you don't need law review if you are from Harv/Yale.

7:06 -- I dunno about that. Hiring standards are pretty stiff at C&B and getting stiffer. I had a hairy time even getting an interview.

Cumberland 3L to 180...cents/hour!

does anyone really believe others will raise. W&C pays no bonus and 180k/yr is still much lower than 1st yr. associates make at most other AM top firms. Call it a bonus...call it a salary...regardless, W&C still pays way below market!

exactly 7:26. This is fake news. Nobody else is moving.

Cumberland 3L, not worth those prices according to whom? Because, according to the market, they (and we) are worth every penny.

I agree with 7:26, other firms WILL NOT RAISE!!

you probably have a move by W&C right now, after recruiting season, because WC draws heavily from the clerkship pool and those folks are just now starting to figure out where they're heading.

also, W&C is really trying to keep associates happy by raising in the midst of all the "bonus" news.

No one else is raising.

7:06, I call bs. My classmate is T14, no journal, not going to be magna (maybe not even cum laude), and still summered at W&C and is going there as an associate. It's a good firm, but it's still just a law firm.

I love C and B.

absolutely well put, 6:24

Has Jones Day in New York been confirmed yet???

GA GA GA GOINK

You know ... I can understand if we are underpaid because the firm does not demand 2k hours. I can understand if the pay scale is what it is because of market.

Bullsh*t ... JONES DAY is just cheap ... the firm tries to sell you on a great firm life ... reality is, you work 2k hours just life every other associate in other firms and get under-compensated for it. Now that W&C raised its base salary using a salary model similar to non-NYC JD, we will just sit and watch other associates down the street get paid much more in base salaries while the JD partners try to sell us on the BS about how much of a great firm JD is in comparison to just about ALL other BigLaw where we would get paid much more ...

JONES DAY sucks ... Avoid like the plague!

The resume is all preped ... time to admit my mistake and do something about it.///

life = like

Hey, Jones Day NY and Chicago is great. We are compensated well too. Perhaps you should join us where JD treats us better.

To even describe Jones Day's transparent "we'll pay you $5k more as a first year only" or whatever the hell their system is in the same post as W&C's legitimate "we pay no bonuses but the salary is nontrivially higher and you have realistic partnership and professional opportunities" is about as absurd as suggesting that the former is even in the same league as the latter.

Jones Day is a cheap, crappy firm. Everyone knows this, except for the few fools who buy into the crap and go there.

The rich get richer, meanwhile this is what non top 10% Loyola grads have to look forward to.

.........................

Personal Injury Associate - Van Nuys, CA
Employer Name: (a small firm.)
Contact Name:
Address: x
City: x
Telephone: x
Facsimile: x
E-Mail: x
Description: HOURS: Full-time. DURATION: Permanent. QUALIFICATIONS: Excellent writing skills, law & motion experience, deposition and court experience. Computer skills. Must be able to travel to satellite offices. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 1-5 JOB DESCRIPTION: SFV based statewide CA firm with offices in Nevada seeks 1-5 years experienced attorney for support in plaintiff PI litigation firm. HOW TO APPLY: E-mail resume and cover letter to Luz at x
Date Entered: 12/17/07
Job ID: 421797

I estimate this job pays $60,000, give or take.

Back in high school, people were paid all in salary with no year end bonus all the time, it was no big deal

I prefer T & A myself.

I prefer T & A myself.

Correct me if I am wrong, but the "no bonus" policy (with exceptions for super billers) applies to JD Chicago as it does to JD DC, right?

Correct me if I am wrong, but the "no bonus" policy (with exceptions for super billers) applies to JD Chicago as it does to JD DC, right?

is everyone comparing WC salaries to New York? $195K for a 2nd year seems pretty good in DC. Not all the firms are paying over 25K in bonuses to second years. Plus the cookies sound good. I think I'll apply.

Yes, it is "rediculous" Cumberland 3L, which is exactly why you'll never work anywhere close to that "pretigious."

To cut through all the garbage: can anyone confirm or deny that any other firms (DC, NY, LA, Chicago) are moving, matching, not moving, not matching, etc?

Personally, I think WC is just trying to soften the blow that they don't pay bonuses...

12/19/07 8:36 - if you've read some of the other comments, this is WC's move to match where the other firms are already at. So why would other firms now move to match WC. If you include bonuses, then other firms may have to lower their base salary to match WC. This is not new. When everyone else paid $125, WC paid $140 with no bonuses ...