Associate

Interested to know since this is rarely done, but what is your salary/state/position (__ year associate, etc.)/practice area? I see salaries posted far too often without any context. Surely everyone on here isn’t biglaw in NYC, Miami, LA, etc. Where are all the normal folks at?

I am proud to say that my firm did the right thing today. Instead of Associate salary cuts or layoffs, they suspended equity partner share payments and suspended hiring and spending. A plus.

Any tips for bringing up diversity in the workplace as an associate who is not really in a position of authority? The legal field is obviously not very diverse to begin with and my office in particular is extremely lacking in diversity. I’d like to suggest initiatives to change this, but I’m unsure of the best way to bring it up. No negative comments please. If you don’t think diversity is necessary or important, just keep it to yourself.

Just need a quick moment to vent! Two weeks ago, I applied for an associate position at a family law firm. I received a response almost immediately from the managing partner, who asked if I was available for a preliminary Zoom interview the very next day. The Zoom interview went exceedingly well, and I was asked to come in for an in-person interview the following afternoon. At the end of the second interview, the managing partner briefly explained the compensation... (CONTINUED IN COMMENTS)

Is title really all that important? Senior in audit and I accepted a position who’s official title is associate. The pay is 20% more than what I’m currently making and is more in line with (cont)

Currently working in industry, but I received a McK offer for an associate role with total comp slightly higher than what I would be making next year in industry (~$5-10k higher). The offer is in line with the associate level comp I can find online and I wasn’t able to negotiate for any more. Wondering if it’s worth it to accept from a personal development standpoint? In other words: current McK consultants - if it wasn’t for the money do you enjoy doing what you do/feel like it’s fulfilling? 🙏

Hiring committees, how can you actually tell who will be a good associate? I’ve been at two biglaw firms now, and in my experience the kids who didn’t go to T14 schools tend to be the better ones. I have a theory it’s because non-T14 juniors feel like they have to prove themselves more and work harder.

Would you leave at the start of your second year as manager at b4/ACN for a generalist associate position at mck?

What are some ways that you organize your emails so that you are able to quickly reference drafts that have either been sent to the client or op counsel and otherwise to identify important transactional documents (I.e. signature pages, execution versions and executed docs) that have been sent out by the team? I’m a first year and just learning my role on the team, and recently I was the only associate on a deal and reported directly to the partner. (More in comments)

First year associate in litigation offered an assistant in-house role for the construction division of a real estate development company. Asked to send an offer letter detailing my salary and benefit requirements. Don’t know where to begin. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I'm taking the bar for the third time next week. I did really well in law school and was highly valued and treated well as a student law clerk. (Lots of substantive work, job offer, etc) Am I going to face a lot of prejudice in my job search now that I've failed twice? Do I need to volunteer up front that I've failed the bar twice when interviewing for an associate position? Any general advice? (I'm definitely going to pass the bar this time, I've conquered those demons). Thanks.

I’m a first year litigation associate and have felt depressed for the past six months largely due to work. I landed what has been my dream job for years - a position at a music law firm - despite having no experience in the industry and no transactional background. My parents think I am committing career suicide by leaving Big Law so soon and working with non Ivy Leaguers. I think I’ve landed a once in a lifetime opportunity and can swing the pay cut since I have no student debt. Thoughts?

Thoughts on $59k for a senior associate role (no overtime) in NYC?

My salary just got frozen @ 55.5k (SALT Tax, 1 year of experience). Should I start interviewing for other jobs? Worth it to stay 1 more year and “maybe” make senior? (PwC is 3 yrs to senior standard, 2 yr is early) I have a Master’s in Accounting, and have 1 more CPA test then I’ll be done. Not sure if I have a strong enough resume to receive decent exit opportunities as a first year associate. I’m about to have busy season again and work 60,70,80,90 hour weeks at my low salary. Please advise!!

How do you deal with a chatty Associate that takes full credit for your ideas or ideas that came out of your coaching sessions? It’s my A3 year and I don’t think my Manager realizes the amount of effort I put into this role for my Associate to be in the positive position they’re in now.

I was planning on trying to start a family this month, but I just landed an associate position at a prestigious firm I’ve wanted for years. I don’t want to postpone having kids - (cont below)

Laid off from AMLaw200 firm due to coronavirus. Had great grades first year of law school. Top of class. Able to secure summer associate position at this firm, led to first year associate position. But I did poorly after the first year of law school and graduated below 3.0 gpa. Do I have a shot at another big law firm? Seems that so many place an emphasis on grades rather than relevant experience. *sigh*

Does anyone have experience transitioning from a government attorney role to an associate role — although having never worked for a firm? If so, what did that process look like for you?

Any tips for a 6 year litigation Associate leaving BigLaw to transition into a new role as Parter at a small boutique litigation firm? Cont’d

What’s the hiring market like in Texas for a 4th year investment management associate? I’m interested in Austin but understand there may be more opportunities in Houston or Dallas. Graduated with honors and on law review at a T14, if that helps at all.

Mid-level associate here so I’m in a position of managing juniors but also reporting to partners on projects. Often a partner assigns a junior a task and then tells them to have me look at the work product before passing it back to the partner. The work product is consistently weak, (wrong on the law, facts are unsupported, late) so I can’t pass it on because my name is attached to it and repeated mentoring hasn’t taken. I don’t get to pick my team. Any advice for managing this junior better?

Thinking about leaving B4. Will be a senior 1 in tax come October. Been doing some thinking and can’t decide if being in tax long term is for me. Want to transition into finance role. Thinking about leaving to be a finance associate somewhere and wanted to get input as the career paths for these moves. Ultimately want to be a CFO I think. I know pay is variable but in northeast is it substantial? Worth foregoing the chance of being partner? Fear is not making it and then being pigeon holed.

Being let go on 8/1 ... can anyone here help with the job hunt? Is your company hiring ? (2nd year Associate Management Consultant)

I got some good news that one of the accounting firms I associate with is starting hiring again for September 2020. If you have 3+ busy seasons with a Big 8 firm and were laid off or looking for work, feel free to message me for more details. I am paid for referrals, but I don't need the money so no hard sells😋 hoping to help our laid off accounting people. Admins feel free to delete it not appropriate.

Feeling confused: I interviewed for a position at a large well-know firm, 6 rounds of interviews (Final with Director), then they called to negotiate salary and said they would like to make me an offer, 2 weeks of silence, now I get an email saying they want me to do an additional interview with an associate consultant at the company.... are they buying time? What’s going on? I’ve already talked to the director

If you had an opportunity to leave a well paid Growth PE role (senior associate) and move to start a VC fund as a founding partner (with committed capital), would you take it?

Should I put my consulting title on my resume or use the role I had on my projects? For example, instead of "Associate Consultant", should I describe my title as "Delivery Lead" as this is the role I have played on most of my projects?

Hello! I will be attending an unranked B-school in London this fall. I chose the school for a handful of reasons (family, time, program, budget) and even before I have determined that I want to become an MBB consultant post MBA. I come from an EM country, 10 years in Financial Services from brand-name global firms. Undergrad - Foreign Service. Realistically, what are my chances of getting into MBB as a consultant? Do I even have a shot at an associate consultant role?

I am a mid level biglaw associate. I am lateraling to another biglaw position in a similar practice group. What are the best practices for communicating your departure to the clients I work cont.

I have interviews scheduled for next week for a senior associate position in Big 4 TAS FDD. Currently an audit S3, any advice on what to expect in the interview, things to brush up on beforehand or talking points I should cover coming from an audit background? I am ready to get out of audit, my mental health has really been struggling lately and I am very excited by the possibility of this role. Any help is greatly appreciated

Currently about to go into my second busy season as a senior associate at a top 20 firm and considering on jumping to Big 4. Due to my lack of PCAOB experience, was offered an experience associate position with a possibility of promotion to senior next year. Looking to hear from people who had similar experiences/offers and curious on your decision making process. Thanks!

I’m a year overdue for my SAE promotion due to covid and business issues. I was told by my SVP that the promotion is definitely coming before EOY & I just need to “sit tight”. In the mean time I have been interviewing for an associate brand manager role for a smaller CPG company. Is it worth it to make the jump this early if my goal is to go brand side anyway? Or is it worth it to stick it out & get my promotion first? The new salary is also probably higher than my promotional raise will be too

Is there any way to turn down a bad (unbillable role, non expensable, hour long commute) project if you’re a first year associate?

Midlevel Biglaw associate in DC (Cravath comp, top law school, V20 firm) who just got an offer for a generalist in-house role. The company is a large well-known multinational, but the role is with a new branch of the company for which there’s no salary information online. What’s a reasonable salary/salary range to expect? What about reasonable benefits/vacation/etc.? I have no reference point so any information would be helpful, including any tips for negotiating. Thank you in advance.

Just got an offer for my first, post-judicial clerkship associate position at mid-size corp transactions group. Nervous - I don't come from a lawyer family. Tips for starting on the right foot?

I’m a first year associate. I am hopefully getting sworn in within 2 weeks. Is it too soon to engage with recruiters and start looking for a new role?

Considering taking an FP&A senior associate role at mid size public company (3k people) with ~10% raise. Pretty on the fence. Current audit senior (rising S2). Any advice? I think finance is more the direction I want to go but unsure really.

Q’s for hiring partners and recruiters - you know that most associates quit their managing attorneys and not the firm/case. I’m in that boat. What do I say to a prospective employer about the situation of why I want to jump ship? Very brief background - I’m a senior associate who has been on one complex commercial litigation case for over a year. Over time, the relationships between attorneys on the case have deteriorated to the point that it is affecting my productivity/work. I want out.

I just swore into my state's bar. Law is my second career (I'm in my early 30's). I had a clerkship in a criminal court lined up that was rescinded because of a COVID hiring freeze. I'm looking for a job as an associate somewhere, any practice area (though criminal law is my ideal area). Does anybody have any tips for a brand new attorney on how to start? I'm used to just sending my resume and a cover letter to potential employers from my time in my previous field; should I be networking more?

Echoing the sentiment of other recent posters - I am a second year corporate associate feeling increasingly burnt out by the hours and stress of biglaw. Does anybody have any tips for getting my foot in the door for an in-house position?