The
news
out
of
the
legal
sector
has
been
nothing
but
doom
and
gloom
lately,
with the
Trump
administration
sucking
the
wind
out
of
many
top
firms’
sails
thanks
to
punitive
executive
orders
and
investigations.
Thankfully,
one
firm
is
bringing
some
joy
to
associates
this
spring
—
in
the
form
of
cold,
hard
cash.
Brewer,
Attorneys
&
Counselors
—
the
successor
firm
to
Bickel
&
Brewer
—
has
paid
salaries
at
or
above
market
for
years.
For
example,
while
typical
first-year
Biglaw
associates
make
market
salaries
of
$225,000,
Brewer’s
been
paying
out
$250,000
to
first-years
since
2023.
Now,
the
firm
is
back
at
it,
offering
entry-level
associates
an
eye-popping
$300,000
starting
salary.
“Our
firm
strives
to
stay
ahead
of
the
curve
–
in
terms
of
compensation,
advocacy,
and
skills,”
said
founding
partner
William
A.
Brewer
III.
“Our
aim
is
to
recruit
the
best
and
brightest
and
give
them
the
opportunity
to
work
on
precedent-setting
matters.
The
bigger
the
stage,
the
better.”
As
noted
in
a
press
release
announcing
this
major
money
move,
these
increased
salaries
recognize
the
successful
outcomes
that
associates
at
Brewer
are
able
to
achieve
by
using
“cutting-edge
legal
technologies”
in
a
“rapidly
changing
world.”
It’s
not
just
first-years
who
are
handsomely
compensated
at
the
firm,
which
operates
as
a
meritocracy
in
terms
of
compensation.
Third-year
associates
reportedly
make
$375,000,
while
fourth-
and
fifth-years
make
$400,00
to
$450,000
base
salaries.
And
did
we
mention
that
associates
are
eligible
to
make
partner
after
just
five
years?
Hefty
salaries
like
these
will
certainly
be
helpful
when
it
comes
to
the
firm’s
continued
expansion.
Congratulations
to
everyone
at
Brewer!
Remember
everyone,
we
depend
on
your
tips
to
stay
on
top
of
compensation
updates,
so
when
your
firm
announces
or
matches,
please
text
us
(646-820-8477)
or email
us (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Bonus/Matches”).
Please
include
the
memo
if
available.
You
can
take
a
photo
of
the
memo
and
send
it
via
text
or
email
if
you
don’t
want
to
forward
the
original
PDF
or
Word
file.
And
if
you’d
like
to
sign
up
for
ATL’s
Bonus
Alerts
(which
is
the
alert
list
we
also
use
for
salary
announcements),
please
scroll
down
and
enter
your
email
address
in
the
box
below
this
post.
If
you
previously
signed
up
for
the
bonus
alerts,
you
don’t
need
to
do
anything.
You’ll
receive
an
email
notification
within
minutes
of
each
bonus
announcement
that
we
publish.
Thanks
for
your
help!
Earlier: Elite
Firm
Increases
Associate
Starting
Salaries
To
$250K
Elite
Firm
Shrugs
At
Milbank
Scale,
Instead
Offers
Starting
Salaries
Of
$235K
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
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on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
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on LinkedIn.