What's your salary today vs. your salary as a 1st year?

I'm a first year associate in employment law in MA making $115,000 / yr.

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135->95->170->195
The drop happened at the same first firm due to me not hitting hours, so I lateraled for a nice jump and have been slowly increasing comp there the past few years ❤️

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At my first job out of law school in 2008 I made $42,500 - and that was in Boston! I work for myself now earning much more than that lol.

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Hi there fellow dirt crawlers! I started at 35k in 2012. I couldn’t believe how low the offer was but I was struggling to just find anything at all.

I’m at 175k now!

Started from the bottom now we here

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$60k as a 1st year in VA vs. $210k as a 5th year in in CA. Switching markets & practice areas did wonders.

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I’ve switched twice actually! Environmental/Energy > Employment > Consumer Warranty (+ some employment)

$235,000 / yr as a first year in CA
$0 / yr as a legal tech (AI doc review) founder in CA
(startups are hard)

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First year in 2015 making $80k as a staff attorney at mid size firm

Currently at $305k TC. Same market

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Hey A2. I did transactional due diligence starting out, working for high profile clients, then switched over to the other side for a few years at another firm where I gained significant responsibility for the deals. Went in house from there.

Pick a speciality, kill it, and show up on all the high visibility projects and you’ll find a way.

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I only made this type of money working for myself. Who is paying attys 500k and not a partner? Big law need not respond.

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$140k as a first year in NYC Biglaw. Now $325k before bonus as part time counsel. Was making $475k as full time counsel before bonus, but I didn’t want to work hard enough to make bonus anymore.

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80% of 1800, so 1440. Also Midlaw not Biglaw with very different expectations and stress level.

Rereading my comment I hope it’s not read that I am still at my first Biglaw firm. But I did leave a different Biglaw firm for this current gig to have more time for other things. And I left partnership after burnout for that last Biglaw gig. It’s been a gradual stepping down….

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$50,000 first year attorney; $400,000 14 years out in california

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First year in-house in TX making $135,000 (not including bonus or benefits)

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$75k to $375k

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$396,000 (exuding potential bonus if things pick up substantially) vs $65,000.

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$80k, which was cut 25% during COVID shortly after I started practicing, to $285k now.

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First year in 2019, management side employment, 135k. Up to 190k in 2024 then left employment firm. At a biz litigation firm now. 120k base, 274k including incentive comp.

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$70k > $300k (7th year)

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Family law, Texas. 45k in 2016. Base salary today 175k.

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$60k in Chicago as a first year (litigation), $300k in Miami (litigation). Different firms.

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Salary today as 4th year: $385k
Salary as first year: $180k

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$425 vs. $85k

$425k annual base

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$80k—>$450k.

$105k total comp -> $200k total comp.

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