The beginning of another stampede of associate salary raises is underway, with Winston & Strawn and Proskauer Rose already matching the new associate pay scale set this week by Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy.

It’s only a matter of time before others follow suit. But as law firm leaders debate the merits of matching a salary scale that starts at $190,000 for first-year associates, clients are anxiously watching the process, and wondering how much of the increases they will have to bear.