The 2024 Compensation Report: Law Firms

(October 1, 2024, 3:32 PM EDT) --
Woman with short white hair leads a briefing at the office with team around the table

(iStock.com/zamrznutitonovi)


Compensation packages usually seek to balance financial realities against the need to attract top talent — resulting in a wide range of dollar values at law firms across the U.S.

More than 1,150 lawyers participated in Law360 Pulse's survey, which asked about their compensation, transparency, billable hours, originations and more.

We broke down the results by position and firm size to show you what lawyers were making last year and where the high and low points for their earnings lay.

The survey also found that lawyers are generally satisfied with their pay — although, despite often generous packages, only a small portion said their firms were fully transparent about pay structures, and most are working long hours.

Check out our analysis of these and other findings in the coverage below.

A Deep Dive Into Law360 Pulse's Survey Of Law Firm Pay

The legal industry may be known for its relatively high pay, but don't tell that to lawyers: Barely half of all attorneys feel satisfied or very satisfied with what they make, according to a new Law360 Pulse report.

Law Firms Add Nonequity Partners, And Many Aren't Happy

Nonequity partners make up one of the fastest-growing tiers of lawyers at major law firms — and also the most discontented, according to Law360 Pulse's new survey.

Equity Partners At Smaller Firms Are Most Content With Pay

Lawyers in private practice are generally happy with their compensation, and BigLaw associates are particularly satisfied, thanks to openly competitive rates of pay. But equity partners at smaller firms are happiest, according to a new Law360 Pulse report.

For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.

Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!