Real salary data across firm tiers, cities, and practice areas. Built from public compensation surveys and crowdsourced from associates nationwide.
All data is anonymous. We never share individual responses.
Your estimated take-home after state and local taxes. Federal taxes are the same everywhere and not included.
See how your practice area, partnership odds, lateral market value, and in-house alternatives stack up.
This data is crowdsourced from associates like you. Your submission helps make the numbers more accurate for everyone. All individual responses are kept strictly confidential and never shared.
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| Level | 25th Pctile | Median | 75th Pctile |
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What your experience level commands in-house. Year 5–6 is the optimal exit window from BigLaw — pay growth decelerates while in-house roles begin to match or exceed total cash.
See the full progression. Your current year is highlighted.
| Year | Base (Median) | Bonus (Median) | Total Comp |
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The Cravath scale has been frozen since January 2024 — the longest pause since 2018. Firms are using special bonuses ($6K–$25K by seniority) instead of raising base pay. Only 32% of firms pay the $225K starting salary. Revenue at AmLaw 100 firms grew 13.3% in 2024, and partner profits grew 141% since 2012, while associate pay rose just 48% over the same period.
AI adoption stands at 47.8% among large-firm attorneys but has not yet reduced associate headcount. Billing rates are growing at 9.6% annually — triple the rate of inflation. Four-day in-office mandates are now standard at most AmLaw 50 firms.