2016 Associate Salary Raises Cost Big Firms ~$11.6M

In 2016, perhaps the biggest story of the year for the legal industry was the associate salary raises — from $160,000 to $180,000 for the most junior associates — that was adopted by many of the largest U.S. law firms.

Now, as consultants and banks roll out their financial forecasts for law firms in 2017, it’s a topic that’s getting a fair amount of air time. The questions persist: How have these raises affected the bottom line for law firms, and will they transfer to the client?

Aric Press recently wrote for Big Law Business that, according to a running tally over ...