Law Firm Associate Pay & The Interview Process

attorneys waiting for an interview

The nationwide defense law firms we recruit for generally require associates with at least one year of recent experience working at a law firm as an associate and current membership in the state bar of the office they are looking to hire into.

After submitting your materials to the law firm’s attorney recruiter, it usually takes two to six weeks for them to respond and request an interview.

Once a candidate’s interview is scheduled, the interviewing process generally takes two to eight weeks then an offer is made.  Next, the attorney must fill out a Lateral Attorney Questionnaire for a conflicts review and a background investigation.

Associate salaries and billable hours are sometimes published and other times confidential.

Lockstep pay is generally published and ranges from firm to firm.  Merit-based pays on your experience and the bill rate they can charge the client for your services.

Many top fifty law firms compete with the same lockstep pay, and other firms start with lockstep for the first few years, then become Merit based. 

Bonuses are generally not published because many factors come into play when deciding bonuses.

Billable Hours are sometimes published and sometimes not.

Pam Bovaird.

Pam Bovaird is CEO of Bovaird Attorney Recruitment, a 100% women-owned company, has recruiting experience spanning 25 years. She recruits associate attorneys and partners – all disciplines. Additionally, she is strong in Sales and Marketing, thinking outside of the box, highly efficient, and process-driven.

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