Elite Firm Raises The Bar On Compensation, Offers $300K Starting Salaries For Associates

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!

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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 her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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