Lawyer Salary

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Heard some B4 partners are not allowing some assocs to progress in their PQE scale so that they don't have to give the "big" pay bump to all their Assocs.

With the pay bump, I am sure some JPs and Counsels will be asked to leave the firm end of next year since their billings cannot support the salary increment of their Assocs.

Good. up-or-out culture actually strengthens the firms in the long run

A lot of JPs and of counsels are actually buay kan and only promoted purely due to being the last few survivors of their batch. But that doesn't really mean jack.

You can't bill, you are unproductive and should go. That's real meritocracy

Originally Posted by Unregistered

A UK FCH is a dime a dozen nowadays, and as a trainee, don't expect to start on the UK scale.

The pecking order of firms in terms of pay for a junior is something like this:

1. US White Shoe Firms (eg Milbank, MoFo, LW, W&C) - these pay over 20k per month but only usually start taking in juniors at 2 PQE and beyond (SG scale)
2. Other US firms (e.g. Dechert) - less than White Shoe Firms but more than Magic/Silver Circle firms (not confirmed)
3. UK Magic or Silver Circle firms (e.g. CC, Links, HSF, A&O, Ashurst, Hogan Lowells - note, L&L side not counted) - these pay around 12-13k per month for 2 PQE (SG scale)
4. BMWL, NRF, Clyde - these pay around 8-10k for 2PQE (not sure about Ascendant though)
5. Big 4 - these pay about 7-8k for 2PQE
6. Firms like WKW, Dentons, TSMP, and other boutiques (e.g. Blackoak or the accounting-linked law firms) pay similar or slightly less than Big 4. These also include some JVs like MPillay and Morgan Lewis).
7. Then you have everyone else. Some of the JVs also fall in this tier like EHE or DMS.

Most of the JVs are scams, the only obviously integrated ones (i.e. where you aren't on local payscale and the place functions as one firm) are BMWL, Clyde, CC (not sure about about the smaller ones though).

TC wise, above the Big 4 only CC & BMWL offer TCs. Although A&O has a UK-linked TC and Ascendant is now offering TCs on behalf of NRF - don't know how integrated they are to NRF though. So if you wanna start as a trainee in Singapore and want to go "above" Big 4, you only have very few choices.

Is this still true?

How does pay progression work? Does it depend on your class of honours?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

How does pay progression work? Does it depend on your class of honours?

It depends on whether your boss got $$ to pay you

Some comments here are disgusting. Suggesting that a delisted school has the same entry requirements as NUS.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Some comments here are disgusting. Suggesting that a delisted school has the same entry requirements as NUS.

NUS 2.2 better than delisted.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

It depends on whether your boss got $$ to pay you

wrong. it depends on whether your boss needs to pay you. if he got $$ but there is no reason to pay you more, why raise your comp?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Some comments here are disgusting. Suggesting that a delisted school has the same entry requirements as NUS.

delisted school are delisted by the sg aristocrats, not by uk
uk sets their own entry requirements
all along u can see it as a sinkie pwn sinkie trap, something to cause internal strife amongst the plebs so that the aristocrats benefit cos think about it?
who truly needs a scapegoat for justifying why they pay you low? the sinkie aristocrats or the british gatekeepers?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

delisted school are delisted by the sg aristocrats, not by uk
uk sets their own entry requirements
all along u can see it as a sinkie pwn sinkie trap, something to cause internal strife amongst the plebs so that the aristocrats benefit cos think about it?
who truly needs a scapegoat for justifying why they pay you low? the sinkie aristocrats or the british gatekeepers?

Delisted schools have remarkably easy grading requirements and deserve all the flak for causing the glut.

Which firm has the most delisted graduates?

Stop bitching abt delisted la. So long alr. Delisted grads who have made it are doing well or at least surviving. Those who cmi hv already left law. Doesn't really affect u.

If recent news is anything to go by we're heading frm glut to shortage and it should hopefully stay that way so that there'll be upward pressure on NQ and junior associate salaries.