Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
Associates may make a tradeoff if they’re billing 1,850 hours and getting a bonus for that and they’re in good standing and on the partnership track. The problem comes when they’re billing 2,000 hours and a competitor is also asking for 2,000 hours and paying top-of-market.
— Michelle Fivel of recruiting firm Hatch Henderson Fivel, in comments given to the American Lawyer on the conundrum that many midlevel associates face when it comes to compensation. As part of Am Law’s most recent Midlevel Survey, associates said they’d be more likely to leave their firms if they were receiving below-market compensation while still expected to bill 2,000 hours or more.
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 X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.
