I’m a 5th-year associate in a HCOL city doing L&E at a mid-sized firm, making $205K. I just got a BigLaw offer for nearly double the comp. I really like my current firm and team, and I could likely stay here long-term, but the money in BigLaw is hard to ignore. My main concern is whether the jump is worth it financially given the potential lack of longevity in BigLaw compared to where I am now.

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

Go for it! If you don’t like it, you can always boomerang back or move to one of the L&E boutiques

likesmart

Get out of your own way and do it.

like

Stay and think long term. Big law rates are cost prohibitive for 80-90% of potential L&E work. By staying, it will make business development substantially easier and lead to more long term money. That said, if you are going in house in a few years take the short term money.

likesmart

Do associates from the practice group at the Big Law firm make equity partner?

Easy to see a scenario in which comp as a big law associate/counsel/non-equity partner has a ceiling.

Maybe equity at the mid size firm eventually comes close to that ceiling.

The prestige associated with a tenure at Big Law could help you if you decide it’s not for you.

like

No question, do it.

like

Do it. It’s worth it. Do it for a few years, bank some money and then you can leave to go in house or another firm.

like

Bank the entire salary bump and see if you like the work.

I started in Big Law and the comp/perks were amazing but my time was never my own. I can’t count the number of times I had to cancel personal commitments and worked most weekends. Fortunately I got great experience and loved the people there. After five years, I needed to get out to save my sanity and went in-house.

There are pros and cons to every career move. If you’re prepared to meet Big Law billables, go for it. You don’t ever want to have regrets if you’re hungry for more. If you’re happy where you are and have a decent work-life balance, think carefully before you jump. Best of luck!

Currently in Madrid and can confirm that the laptop came with me, lol.

What did you do @OP?

Related Posts

Hello all, I work for a small consumer goods company as Ecommerce Director. I’m pretty much the only one managing our Ecomm store, no direct reports but manage a marketing and Amazon 3rd party agencies for the brand. I’ve been with company almost 2 years and have significantly increased sales. In the middle of salary negotiations and just curious on what everyone thinks would be comp salary for this position: Ecomm director/ manager hybrid role. Thank you!

like

I have an interview for a financial advisor at TD any tips would appreciated on nailing this interview. Please also tell me about negotiatiating a reasonable salary for the position

like

Does Ericsson deduct gratuity from in hand salary monthly like pf ?? Ericsson

like

How is NTT global data services based on job security and salary on time

like

🚀How much salary range for VP - K grade in bnym ( Bank of New York Mellon) technology department? Skills - Java microservices Expr - 13+ yr

@bny Mellon technology

like

I had salary discussion on March 15 with HCL, When i will get update from them again??? Any experience pls share...

like

How much salary should I expect from Honeywell @Honeywell Automation India Ltd for sr. Project management specialist II ?Location - bangalore

After 4 rounds of interview, HR calls to confirm whether my expected salary was 20 LPA. This is when my current is 19 LPA. I had asked for 25 LPA initially itself and she is now accusing me having increased my ask after positive feedback from the interviews.

Can someone really think that a person will be willing to switch companies at a 5% hike?

Pathetic interview experience with Gartner.

like

What is the Salary for an Assistant Manager?

like

What’s the salary range like for senior consultants in risk advisory?

like

Hello, what should be the salary for a project engineer? I will ask for promotion and I am unsure. I have 2 master degrees, 5 years of experience. what range should I have in mind?

Nearly 9 yoe 24 lpa fix offer from gds( data engineer), excluding gratuity
Is this salary good or not so good? Hr did not agree to extend more than this saying its the max they can provide for rank 42, location kolkata

like

How many rounds of interview are there in Gartner , I had two rounds completed, and what is the salary of 7.5 yrs exp in Gartner with role of senior software engineer

like

Anyone know base and bonus ranges for Chicago-based Compliance Analysts at mid-sized asset managers?

Spotify has a couple of really interesting remote first-positions open. What’s their salary range at Director level in EU?

like

I am looking to leave Deloitte but I have not been around long enough to satisfy my signing bonus. How do you bring up a signing bonus in negotiations with a new employer?

like

Humbly asking cause don’t know if I am being too cheap on my wheels... Whats your salary and what car are you driving? I am at around $230K and have a CRV, but thinking of upgrading. Thanks.

like

Can someone please let me know what is the maximum salary that Deloitte India offers to Consultant?
YOE : 4.5
Current offer from Deloitte: 16 fixed
Offer from another MNC: 18.9 fixed

Will Deloitte India be able to match the offer if I renegotiate?

like

Can someone help with the monthly in hand salary calculation for below fixed salary? YoE: 3 years

Post Photo
like

More Posts

I'm a younger teacher in a high COL area. In terms of wealth building, how does home ownership stack up to other methods like investing in stocks?

like

I 485 question - I do not have any vaccination record from my home town. It is a small village. I am thinking of getting the required vaccination here in US. Will insurance cover my vaccination?

Where do you buy dogecoin?

like

How do you keep your carriers from Vomitting Money? How do you tell carriers that they are only feeding the Beast by paying “cost of defense”?

like

Starting to look into PE headhunters. I know that there are quite a few of them out there, but which ones have you guys had luck with/good experience with?

like

Anyone had success with CISSP audiobooks to study? I got a long commute!

Mid/big law privacy associates- how much do you bill a month on average? is your workload predictable?

like

Anyone in NYC have GMAT books they want to give away? Applying this coming year.

like

How many here also have ADHD?

like

Where is the sustainability sector headed in the Middle East, project wise?

like

What is the expectation at your firms about coming into work after making your billable hours requirement? Asking especially for those who do not get a bonus per extra hour billed over the minimum.

like

Does anyone enjoy lender work? If so, what about it did you find appealing? I’ve somehow been saddled with all the lender work at my firm (despite never having expressed an interest in it and having no experience with it) and it’s miserable. Having said that, our other practice areas are slowing down significantly and I don’t know if I want to rock the boat. Any advice would be much appreciated!

like

Backpack recommendation? Got a free one when I joined but it’s kind of clunky/bulky. Anyone buy an Incase backpack?

Thoughts on portfolio school? Is it worth it, or is there a better route?

like

What do you want to do when you reach FI?

like

Please advise. I am trying to keep the CV short but I feel I am really underselling myself. TIA

Post Photo
like

Hi Fishes,
What should be the salary for Manager / Sr Manager having 14+ yoe in project/product service operations? I am at 32 lpa which I think is quite low having worked with top consulting firms for close to 12 years.

like

Any digital nomads abroad here? Any tricks with vpn? Good or bad experiences?

like

Anyone wanna pay for my vacation to Disney world?

like

Additional Posts in Law

What is a typical starting rate that young attorneys charge for per diem side work? First or second year lawyers should ask for what? Client is a big firm.

like

Idk, maybe it’s time we bring these engineers and techs down. If my 🧠 links to a 💻 , all of my non-billable work will come to light. 😤

Post Photo
like

I am traveling out of town for callback interviews. One firm wants me to commit a full day of interviews. Would it be reasonable to ask for a half day so I can fit 2 callbacks in the same day?

like

Career Sabbatical?

Can anyone who has taken a career sabbatical to travel/explore other interests share their experience with both leaving their jobs and returning to the legal field?
I really want to live in Asia for a year at least before I have to settle down and start a family. I’m not getting younger but don’t want to be reckless with my career.

like

I am a new (lateral) associate at a small firm where everyone currently works from the office. When I started, I wasn’t told specific firm hours. I’ve tried to figure out when to come and go based upon when the partners arrive and leave, but their schedules are very inconsistent. The other associates don’t have helpful guidance for me. Assuming that if I ask the partners they’ll say to use my discretion, what are reasonable hours to keep?

like

I have a second interview tomorrow. I already spoke with the partners and now I’ll be speaking with some associates. Any tips on what I should discuss and what questions should I ask?

like

Does anyone know sports arbitration or general arbitration well? Have been a figure skating fan my entire life and am curious whether the judgement of recent Valieva case makes sense to you.

like

Any advice on how to deal with a partner/boss who is shifting all responsibility to me with zero guidance, no mentoring, and an unwillingness to discuss the issues? (Small firm, only associate under this partner and have been working at the firm for 2 years). There are an increasing number of passive aggressive comments from the partner who expects to be completely hands off once the case lands on my desk. Wants me to figure it all out despite cases being from different areas of law.

like

Best divorce lawyer in NYC?

like

How long did you have to wait from last round interview until offer? (Public sector)

like

Does anyone know how litigation finance works on the plaintiff side? If someone wanted to bring a lawsuit against their former employer would a general contingency arrangement with a plaintiff’s firm make sense? Or would one need to find funding and then contact a plaintiff’s firm to actually handle the case? I’m a transactional lawyer, so this is out of my wheelhouse.

like

What are your outlook organization tips?

Trying to organize my email in a way that makes stuff easy to find. I have folders but how do I make emails both sent and receive easily save to their respective folders (as opposed to dragging each one)

Or any other organization tips for better productivity Iike I just have things organized by matters. Any other categorical suggestions?

like

Layoffs. Most big firms say they're sitting on a conservative pile of cash - which I believe is true - but work will obviously not return to pre-COVID levels in the short term, probably not even in the medium term. Are Biglaw layoffs coming?

likefunny

Well I learned my lesson. Never work with Wells Fargo. Any good banks I should switch to?

like

Orally accepted a job offer that I’m excited about, but have another interview this week for a different job. I didn’t realize the first offer would come so quickly! Should I cancel the interview this week or go through with it? Small legal community- people talk.

like

Does anyone know the salary for a westlaw account executive? also a contact for a westlaw recruiter?

like

I feel like I’m wasting my time waiting on CA bar results 😭, any tips on how I can use this time effectively?

like

Hardest part of navigating maternity leave and WLB as a junior partner?

like

What is the scoop on med mal defense vs. plaintiff work? Is defense more respected by other practice areas if I were to switch somewhere else later?

I applied to a position that brands itself as civil litigation and apparently the role is med mal defense. Not sure what to go by but would like to do a little research before I call them back.

like

Advice Request: Started my career litigating. Switched to niche transactions (so about half and half at this point). Halfway through a year long sabbatical and reevaluating what I want to do (left before jumping to Senior associate). I’d like to get into litigation again in a practice group I don’t have experience in. Any suggestions on how to do this? How to approach firms and partners etc? Past 2 firms on my resume are top 30.

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal