Update: from reader comments, I added Marquis & Aurbach to the board with a magic number of 50.
For some new associates/law students, the magic number in evaluating firms is the calculation of salary per required billable hour. The formula takes the starting salary and divides the amount by the firm's minimum requirement of billable hours, to come up with a value paid to the associate for each [required] billable hour.
This magic number may be the best approximation of the value of working for a particular firm with the caveat that it does not take into consideration which firms require associates to work many more billable hours than the stated minimum requirement.
So, here, ranked in order by highest (or best) magical number are the Vegas firms ( did I miss something or someone? let me know at nevadalegal@gmail.com ):
Name $ per billable (Salary/Min Billable)
Watt, Tieder 73 ($145,000/2000 billables)
Ballard Spahr 68 ($133,000/1950 billables)
Holland & Hart 67 ($120,000/1800 billables)
Fennemore Craig 65 ($125,000/1925 billables)
Lionel Sawyer 61 ($110,000/1800 billables)
For some new associates/law students, the magic number in evaluating firms is the calculation of salary per required billable hour. The formula takes the starting salary and divides the amount by the firm's minimum requirement of billable hours, to come up with a value paid to the associate for each [required] billable hour.
This magic number may be the best approximation of the value of working for a particular firm with the caveat that it does not take into consideration which firms require associates to work many more billable hours than the stated minimum requirement.
So, here, ranked in order by highest (or best) magical number are the Vegas firms ( did I miss something or someone? let me know at nevadalegal@gmail.com ):
Name $ per billable (Salary/Min Billable)
Watt, Tieder 73 ($145,000/2000 billables)
Ballard Spahr 68 ($133,000/1950 billables)
Holland & Hart 67 ($120,000/1800 billables)
Fennemore Craig 65 ($125,000/1925 billables)
Lionel Sawyer 61 ($110,000/1800 billables)
Lewis & Roca 61 ($115,000/1900 billables)
Jennings, Strouss 58 ($110,000/1900 billables)
Brownstein Hyatt 56 ($110,000/1950 billables)
Payne & Fears 56 ($110,000/1950 billables)
Bullivant Hauser 55 ($102,000/1850 billables)
Snell & Wilmer 55 ($110,000/2000 billables)
Fisher & Phillips 54 ($100,000/1850 billables)
Hale Lane Peek 54 ($100,000/1850 billables)
McDonald Carano Wilson 54 ($100,000/1850 billables)
Gordon & Silver 53 ($95,000/1800 billables)
Morris Pickering 51 ($95,000/1850 billables)
Jolley Urga 51 ($92,000/1800 billables)
Kummer Kaempfer 50 ($95,000/1900 billables)
Marquis & Aurbach 50 ($100,000/2000 billables)
Brownstein Hyatt 56 ($110,000/1950 billables)
Payne & Fears 56 ($110,000/1950 billables)
Bullivant Hauser 55 ($102,000/1850 billables)
Snell & Wilmer 55 ($110,000/2000 billables)
Fisher & Phillips 54 ($100,000/1850 billables)
Hale Lane Peek 54 ($100,000/1850 billables)
McDonald Carano Wilson 54 ($100,000/1850 billables)
Gordon & Silver 53 ($95,000/1800 billables)
Morris Pickering 51 ($95,000/1850 billables)
Jolley Urga 51 ($92,000/1800 billables)
Kummer Kaempfer 50 ($95,000/1900 billables)
Marquis & Aurbach 50 ($100,000/2000 billables)
Santoro, Driggs 50 ($90,000/1800 billables)
Lewis Brisbois 43 ($84,000/1950 billables)
Alverson, Taylor 37 ($74,400/2000 billables)
Thorndal, Armstrong 31 ($68,000/2160 billables)
Congrads to the associates at Watt, Tieder for scoring the highest with $73 per billable hour. And while the attorneys at Alverson have yet another indication they are toiling in a sweatshop, they can be comforted that at least they don't work at Thorndal Armstrong. $31 a billable hour, yikes!
Thorndal attorneys, be comforted that all that toil for little pay is helping to lease cars for the partners at your firm. You can feel proud about that, right?
Lewis Brisbois 43 ($84,000/1950 billables)
Alverson, Taylor 37 ($74,400/2000 billables)
Thorndal, Armstrong 31 ($68,000/2160 billables)
Congrads to the associates at Watt, Tieder for scoring the highest with $73 per billable hour. And while the attorneys at Alverson have yet another indication they are toiling in a sweatshop, they can be comforted that at least they don't work at Thorndal Armstrong. $31 a billable hour, yikes!
Thorndal attorneys, be comforted that all that toil for little pay is helping to lease cars for the partners at your firm. You can feel proud about that, right?
Think you left out GT. They'd fall somewhere between Lewis & Roca and Lionel. Also, the H&H number is a little deceptive. They want 1950, but 150 can be pro bono. Also, Fennemore has gone to a two-tier structure (in line with some BigLaw and coastal firm trends): 1800/110K and 1925/125K.
ReplyDeleteAnyone have any insight on these Summerlin firms: Marquis Aurbach or Hutchinson Stephen?
ReplyDeleteI think your "magic number" is a bit deceiving, albeit the only way you can boil these firms down to a number. The reason being that many firms strike hours, and count the strike against the associate. This affects the accuracy of the "billable hours" number.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree about the cutting of hours. Not to mention the firms that list a "minimum billable" number and then require an additional 200-300 in order to stay with the firm.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I use the magic number on the website because if beginning associates are going to get screwed by a firm (and many do), I think they should do so for the highest $ amount per required billable hour.
I think the LSC number should be 61.
ReplyDeletegood call anonymous. I screwed up the math on Lionel Sawyer. Changes have been made.
ReplyDeleteDon't want to create too much work for you, but just an fyi. NALP recently updated many of the firms, so the numbers have gone up on several. Santoro, for example, now lists $95k.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Kolesar Leatham should be added to your list:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nalpdirectory.com/dledir_search_quick.asp