- Quickdraw McLaw
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Here are the results for the 2014 Magic Number survey. These numbers are based on what first year associates are making and what the billable requirement is at a firm. These two pieces of information combined give us the salary per billable hour or Magic Number. These numbers come from your survey responses and we make no guarantees regarding their accuracy. If we received more than one response for a firm and the numbers differed, we put the average. (That means if you submitted a response for your first year salary and the number below is higher–that is probably a good sign someone else is making more than you at your same firm.) You also have to remember that this does not take into account benefits or intangibles (like a private chef), so your mileage may vary. If you are an experienced attorney and get sick at the thought of how underpaid you are, enter at your own risk. The results are after the jump.
| Firm | Salary | Billable Hours | Magic Number | Bonus/Notes |
| Legal Aid Center | $150,000 | 1800 | $83 | |
| Glen Lerner Firm | $130,000 | 1850 | $70 | |
| Akerman LLP | $130,000 | 2100 | $62 | Annual raise and bonus around $25K |
| Gordon Silver | $110,000 | 1800 | $61 | |
| Holland & Hart | $110,000 | 1800 | $61 | Also requires mandatory 100 pro bono and 200 admin hours |
| Lewis Roca Rothgerber | $115,000 | 1900 | $61 | |
| Littler Mendelson | $115,000 | 1900 | $61 | |
| Brownstein Hyatt | $115,000 | 1900 | $61 | |
| Weinberg Wheeler | $125,000 | 2100 | $60 | |
| Durham Jones | $100,000 | 1850 | $54 | discretionary bonus |
| Pisanelli Bice | $112,500 | 2100 | $54 | |
| Armstrong Teasdale | $90,000 | 1950 | $46 | They hold back 15% of your salary and pay you the held back portion every 6 months if you made your hours |
| Lewis Brisbois | $87,500 | 1950 | $45 | |
| Alverson Taylor | $80,000 | 1900 | $42 | After first 6 months, pay by billable hour only |
| Marquis Aurbach | $80,000 | 2000 | $40 | Bonus formula |
| Gordon & Rees | $75,000 | 1950 | $38 | |
| Jolley Urga | $65,000 | 1800 | $36 | |
| Small Firm 1 | $60,000 | 1800 | $33 | |
| Lincoln Gustafson | $65,000 | 2000 | $33 | |
| Small Firm 2 | $65,000 | 2000 | $33 | no bonuses |
| Springel & Fink | $65,000 | 2100 | $31 | |
| Canon Law Services | $60,000 | 2000 | $30 | |
| Wilson Elser | $60,000 | 2100 | $29 | |
| Craig P. Kenney Firm | $60,000 | ? | ? | Plus % of cases brought in |
| Bremer Whyte | $65,000 | ? | ? |
Legal Aid center $180k, is Buckley or Nevada Legal? Why I am encouraged to do pro bono when pay is so high? Please clarify, because this is disturbing
Obviously, that is not a real number.
While it may seem lucrative, I think the answer is that the income curve is MUCH flatter. So, what you come in at, is probably where you'll stay for many years to come. Plus, it's not like there's a "partnership level" to aspire to. Unless you're interested in doing the Lord's Work for your entire career, not a lot of up side there.
I am not sure if the income reported is true or not, although I am sure Buckley brings in more than Mary Jane Johnson. I have to say that the attorney over at both Nevada Legal and Legal Aid are mostly quality…hiring away a lot of the quality, legal talent from the private sector…Honodel and McDonald, to name a few.
I work for Nevada Legal Services, and I can tell you flat out that none of the attorneys here are making anywhere close to that kind of money. Maybe our executive director, but I doubt it. (And that wouldn't be an unreasonable salary for the executive director of a legal aid organization.) I think an attorney with a couple of years starts at about $43,000 right now. Hey, stop laughing. I have no billable hours and I can wear jeans to work.
Also, while I can't speak for LACSN, I very much doubt that a first year attorneys are paid that much. Maybe an experienced (15-20yrs) moving over from somewhere else.
MORRISON: CONSULTANT KEEPS TITLE OF ‘JUDGE MAKER,’ DESPITE ALLEGATIONS Political consultant David Thomas retained his nickname as “judge maker” on election night despite one judicial candidate’s claim that Thomas had offered a bribe to protect incumbent Judge Rob Bare. http://erj.reviewjournal.com/ct/uz5494296Biz23082846
I have several friends who have worked at LACSN and the starting salary for them was something closer to $65K per year.
Don't worry, private sector attorneys!
So…. what you're saying is that the attorneys for one of the 8 lowest-paying firms above could have been making pretty much the same amount of money doing the Lord's work while wearing jeans, with no billable hour requirement to worry about and the benefit of student aid forgiveness?
Damn, that sucks.
Can't wear jeans at LACSN. NLS is awesome but only pays $43K for first years. Loan forgiveness after ten years if you never miss a payment.
Ya, Lerner and Legal Aid don't really pay that.
I get the sense that Akerman is overstated on here, but I have heard their pay is above market, so maybe not. I have also heard that the Weinberg Wheeler firm pays at their Atlanta rate, which is above the Las Vegas market.
I'm surprised Armstrong Teasdale, Pisinelli Bice, and Jolley Urga are that low. I thought they'd be much higher–I assumed AT and PB would be at 115 and I assumed Urga would be at 100.
Jolley Urga is not the economic power house you think it is. A lot of layoffs and turn over in the past few years.
What does Lerner actually pay then? I don't think he even hires first year associates so the number may be irrelevant anyway.
2000+ billables for $65,000! Dude, quit and become a firefighter.
Could be worse. Could work for Springel and Fink. 2100 for $65k?
I'm curious as to whether there is a lot of creative billing such that 2100 would not be as much work as it would otherwise seem.
Having worked for Springel and Fink, those guys are really good dudes. They take care of their people and billing is never an issue.
I started out in the insurance defense world 6 years ago. My first-year salary was $70k with an 1800 hour requirement. I know we've been through a recession since then, but it looks like the numbers have gotten even worse! I agree with 9:19 AM, 2000+ billables for $65k makes me sad for the state of the legal industry.
When I graduated from law school in 2006, Marquis was paying $100k with step raises of $5k per year. Interesting to see the shift back to $80k. That said, I think McDonald Carano was paying $65k / year when I started law school (2003) ($90k-100k in 2006), so at least the larger firms are still higher than it was 10 years ago.
I love the "reverse bonus" situation at Armstrong Teasdale where they hold back 15% of your pay unless you meet your billables. Good news! No bonus, but you get to keep your salary!
Ah, Alverson Taylor is that starting salary correct? They use motion sensors in the
john to save money. I thought they only paid associates hourly as independent contractors. I seriously question the $80k starting, probably cut your hours, and will not pay
$30-$40 an hour, until you work those additional hours. $80 k for 70-80 hrs a week of work.
Almost better off working at a gas station, at least you get benefits.
The starting salary is correct, at least for the first six months. After that, your salary is based on your billables. Miss the goal, and watch your pay drop. Oh, and don't look to partners or senior associates to really provide enough legitimate work for you to make your hours. They ultimately benefit when you scarper off after a year of working shitty hours for shitty pay, because then they can hire a fresh face to replace you.
Marquis Aurbach has associates starting out lower than that. That is slightly inflated.
thank you for doing this. I am a 4th year at a small firm and my numbers are essentially identical to Louis Bribois. FML.
Count your blessings. $90k for a 4th year associate isn't all that bad, especially at a small firm.
When I was a fourth year at a midsize firm, I made a base of $85,000 with a bonus structure. The bonuses worked out to about $20k per year.
My firm has a relaxed approach to associate work hours.
District Court judicial law clerk = $60,500 per year, PLUS employer paid PERS contribution, employer paid medical/dental/vision, all state and federal holidays with 80 hours paid vacation per year and 120 hours paid sick leave earned per year AND you don't contribute/pay federal social security tax, so you take home more each paycheck (about $300-400/month) … so yearly salary for first year is the equivalent of about $90,000. hmmm
PERs has problems. How much is it funded, 50-60%? Me thinks it will be lucky to survive this shitty economy. It has to pay Dave Roger 20 k a month in pension. Teachers HealthTrust is broke, too. Believe me, wish I was wrong in my assessment.
I'm sure you did no "assessment" and merely read the RJ articles. Which are always immediately refuted by PERS with an actual assessment completed by an independent party.
I am more "educated" in the area than you give me credit for. You want to "believe" otherwise, that is your naïve choice. Hey, "Crescent" Hardy will save your pension!
60,500 is starting. Some of those lifers make 75,000 plus benefits.
PERS is at 71%. You don't have to guess at the number, it's calculated independently and published at nvpers.org
71% is not good.
On top of all you report, Judicial Law Clerk appears to be one of the lower-stress, flexible time commitment jobs I've ever seen.
That entirely depends on the judge you clerk for.
Please tell me our new Attorney General, Adam Laxalt, is not this clueless as to what his job entails as a Prosecutor. Channel 8 just reported his some of his main concerns are the sage grouse, BLM overreaching and Obamacare, none of which his office has anything to do with. Maybe he thinks he ran for Lieutenant Governor or some other political position, not law enforcement. He cannot be that dumb, can he? Sage grouse!!! Heaven help us.
Maybe it is you who is showing your ignorance. The state's conservation and enforcement policies viz sage grouse directly influences the feds –true in other western states too. And BLM overreaching is the same — in fact, a larger version of the same. Finally, the state federal connection wrt mandatory health insurance and insurance exchanges is obvious.
He is young and green but better informed than you seem to be.
not unlike what his grandfather and also grant sawyer did for gaming — developing effective state laws and enforcement measures that kept the feds from shutting us down.
Guess the shills for Laxalt stay up late reading the blog. Instead of worrying about the political matters that make headlines, Laxalt may want to start small, like making sure his office can comply with basic orders from Judge Gonzalez. His priorities should not be a surprise though, his reviews from Lewis and Roca said he didn't know how to practice law. Why would he start to try now?
Lets play spot the Ross Miller supporter!
Let's play newly elected AG who is a "train wreck." How did this fool pass the bar exam?
@10:20 P.M., I didn't say it did not effect the feds but said the the AG has no role in it or only a minor one at best. Read the job description for AG.
You said "none of which his office has anything to do with." That was incorrect. Now you say "or only a minor one at best." That is truer, but if you ask the 26 AGs that brought the ACA lawsuit, they would probably tell you it was a significant part of their job.
"a significant part of their job" to write a Motion to Join and show up for the press conference?
Let's be honest, Laxalt is going to set policy for the office and let the talented folks that already work there do their jobs. Being a good AG doesn't require trial skills, it requires good managerial skills, which his JAG reviews say he has in spades.
Let us be honest, Laxalt sucks!
Then let's be honest, more voters wanted Laxalt than Miller, so quit whining … he hasn't done anything yet! And I'm sure you will have plenty of chances to say "Laxalt sucks!" in the future, but right now, enough already!!! The campaign is over… geez.
I'll tell you all one thing: Big winner in the AG race? Lewis Roca Rothgerber — hands down!
Think of the lawsuit they just sidestepped… Geez!
Laxalt still sucks!
I am still shocked that Laxalt won
"and let the talented folks that already work there do their jobs." The average level of talent at the Nevada AG is pretty low.
At the least the grouse is in good hands.
1:23 – what would be the basis for this lawsuit? There is no law that affords an employee privacy rights to a performance review. If an employer wanted to post an employee's performance reviews online, generally speaking, it could do so. If Laxalt attempted to sue alleging a claim defamation, not sure he could meet the elements, plus it would look like sour grapes and make him look vindictive. Would not be helpful for future political aspirations. I doubt LRR was worried about a lawsuit. More just the embarrassment of having such an inappropriate breach occur.
Just because defamation is couched in a performance review doesn't mean it isn't still defamation. Are you aware of a performance review exception? This kind of defamation is about his business character and would be libel per se. L&R was definitely worried about a lawsuit. You're a fool if you think otherwise.
Isn't truth an ultimate defense in any defamation action? I wouldn't know if the statements are true but there is always that possibility right?
Legal Aide pays $150,000 to a first year lawyer?? I call monumental bullshit!!