As you know, we've been seeking tips for our Magic Number poll, which reviews the benefits and salaries of civil firms. People are sometimes a bit shy or nervous to put the info in an email.
Everyone always wants to know. What are people making?
Here is your chance to be completely anonymous. No email addresses attached to this. If you are comfortable leaving your firm name, please do. If not, tell us how long you have been practicing, the size of your firm, hourly requirements and what type of law you practice. And, of course, the always inappropriate - how much are you making. Does your firm have a bonus program? What are bonuses based on?
As always, we value the opinions of our law student readers. How much do you expect to make your first year? Do you have offers? If you summered in LV, how much were you paid?
General civil lit. Bigger firm. $100k. 1950 hours per year. Fourth year. Bonus is based entirely on hours.
ReplyDeleteSolo Pract. General law. Everything litigation.
ReplyDelete10 years practicing in LVm 8 years on my own in January.
$340,000 take home projected for this year. Work 35-40 hours a week.
Statewide full service firm; 5th year; 125k base; generous bonus based on productivity (receipts/billables/establishing new clientele) resulted in a bonus over 35k;
ReplyDeleteGeneral civil lit. Bigger firm. $110k. 1800 hrs.
ReplyDeleteBonus is supposed to be based on hours. I've yet to receive one since I'm only a first year associate.
30K this semester and a Deferral Granted Notice from the Gov. Suck it.
ReplyDeleteInsurance Defense. First year associate at a small firm. $72k. 1800 hours per year. Bonus is based on hours. Mediocrity all around.
ReplyDeleteDear 11:06 PM:
ReplyDeleteIf what you say is true, I envy you. Do you talk with other solos with similar practices, and do you know if your projected take-home is typical (again, assuming what you say is true)?
Just curious.
Defense Civil Lit. Reno. 10-15 attorneys.2nd year assoc. $90K, 1700 hours, up to $20K in bonus based on hours and collectables.
ReplyDeleteI do not live in Reno, but I want to work with 9:56.
ReplyDeletecriminal defense solo practitioner 200K+ plus benefits and 401K.
ReplyDeleteIn response to 11:12 AM's post: If you're a solo practitioner, don't you pay for your own benefits and 401(k)? I don't think I would include that if it wasn't paid for by an employer...
ReplyDeleteLMFAO at 11:12. Do you match your own contributions? That's awesome.
ReplyDelete11:12, you should consider tripling your own contribution to your 401k, that would be awesome!
ReplyDeleteGeneral civil lit - LV firm with approx 40 attys; 4th yr, 2000 hrs: $106k salary, + health ins., 401k and generous bonus structure based on hours, revenue and origination.
ReplyDelete3 years out of law school. 1850 hours. Business litigation and Estate litigation. 125k plus 20k bonus. Small firm.
ReplyDeleteFull service regional law firm, primarily litigation and bankruptcy in Reno, 3rd year. $123K, 1900 hrs. Bonuses are indeterminate for this fiscal year because of the economy. There were productivity and discretionary bonuses in the past.
ReplyDeleteAnybody from Plaintiffs' PI firms?
ReplyDeletegovt., crim, approx. $80K, benefits, 9-5 w/ 2 yrs exp.
ReplyDelete6 years of practice, small insurance defense firm; no hourly requirement (just expected to get your work done); base salary $100k; bonus discretionary (notoriously very generous), but based upon profitability of firm overall for year, performance; benefits of health, vision, dental, 401k, ability to truly legitimately take vacation (yes, I consider that a benefit).
ReplyDelete1st year at a large firm in town. Make what the NALP listing says. Probably no bonus this year.
ReplyDeleteSheesh, 2:35 pm, just say "I work at Marquis Aurbach, third office to the left, second floor. I eat for free. Beat that."
ReplyDeletePorsche. Nine-inches. 150K. 5th year. Assured of making partner. See you ladies tomorrow night...
ReplyDeleteMr. Porsche is just further confirmation that Marquis & Aurbach = douchebag central.
ReplyDelete4th year; no billable hours requirement; rarely work on weekends; $80,000 plus fairly generous bonus plus health insurance
ReplyDelete2nd year. Boutique firm. No billable requirements. I think I worked a weekend, once. $75k+, discretionary bonuses (on the generous side), health ins., No set vacation allowance (I have taken more than 2 weeks vacation this year already), working hours between 8:30am - 5:30pm.
ReplyDeleteMedium-sized civil litigation firm, 1750 billable hours, 4th year, should make $100K to $105K this year with bonus if bonus is in line with what I got last year.
ReplyDeleteRe 1st year 9:07 - seriously? I'm support staff & I make almost that! Granted, I've been doing this kind of work for a long time, I'm really good at it & I work for a very successful attorney, but still . . . 72K? Seriously??
ReplyDelete6:57 - You've been support staff for a long time and you're bashing a first year for making just a little bit more than you??? That's pretty sad. I can tell you that a good, long-term paralegal is worth more than a 1st year lawyer. A first year lawyer is an overpaid investment in the future that takes up a bunch of training time. $72,000 isn't bad at all. He/she probably doesn't have to bill out 2,000 hours and work weekends and nights like most of the $100,000+ first-yrs. from the large firms who have no quality of life.
ReplyDeleteIf the $72,000 1st year decides to take the non-lawyer's advice, I'll snap up that job in a second. I graduated this year and am still looking for a job.
ReplyDeleteI make considerably more than $150k a year and I can't afford a 911 ... someone doesn't know how to manage his or her money very well.
ReplyDelete10:25 pm -- classic comment!
ReplyDeleteWork at a medium sized firm; mostly civil litigation/insurance defense. Now in 4th year (3rd at my firm) and making $120K plus bonuses and marginal benefits. 1900 hours. Took 3 years to get raised up to what the big boys start at, but my quality of life is pretty good. Glad to have a good job.
ReplyDelete7th year, small firm, made $115,000last year with bonus, go home at 6:00pm, occasional weekend work, 2 weeks vacation, health insurance
ReplyDeleteAt 10:25---
ReplyDeleteYOU'RE A SUCKER!!!!
I passed the bar less than one year ago and will make $75,000 MORE than you. [$225,000].
Next year, I'll make $400,000.
Go pretend like you're important in your douchy little Porche at your tall building firm.
Seriously, you're not important at all.
BTW -- I can make mine 9 inches too...I just fold it in half.
The drawback to my job is that I work my nuts off. 6-7 days a week.
Established Plaintiff's P.I. practice with ten lawyers. Associates make $72,000 per year guaranteed against 20-33 1/3% commmission on net fees received. Associate lawyers make between $200,000 and $800,000 annually depending on production. Firm owner typically takes home between $2.5-3.5 million annually.
ReplyDeleteSolo, will make about $120K this year, down $80K from last year and down about the same from my cushy old job. This slowdown in the economy sucks. I thought that I would hit $250K to $300K this year. Someone please start buying undeveloped real estate again.
ReplyDelete1st year, $100k, full insurance, no billable requirement, almost never work weekends.
ReplyDelete10:05, you may as well just say, Richard Harris. Geez.
ReplyDelete