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The Biglaw price tag is not for the faint of heart. For a while now, the rates for the best Biglaw partners have been over $1,000 an hour, with the top rates at the $2,000 mark. It’s enough to give anyone sticker shock.
But the truth is, it has become increasingly common to have the partners on big cases or deals billing at four-figure rates. The new hotness, as bankruptcy filings have revealed, is charging north of $1,000 for associates.
So, that’s what (senior) associates are really worth at top law firms.
According to Law.com, at least three Biglaw firms have crossed that rubicon. Kirkland & Ellis associates bill up to $1,125 per hour, as disclosed in the Biglaw giant’s work in the Barney’s New York bankruptcy. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom revealed their $1,000+ associate price tag in the McClatchy newspaper bankruptcy. And in the J. Crew bankruptcy filings, Weil, Gotshal & Manges disclosed associate billing rates in the range of $595 to $1,050.
And you know if these three firms are charging $1,000+ for associates, so are other elite firms.
I guess an unexpected silver lining (albeit a small one) of the rash of bankruptcies we are seeing (and expect to see) is casting more light on the realities of Biglaw billing rates.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).