After Vinson & Elkins’ July 17 announcement that it was raising Texas and Washington, D.C., associates’ salaries, it didn’t take long for Houston-based Andrews Kurth to react.

Andrews Kurth managing partner Bob Jewell told associates on July 18 that the firm will increase the salary for first-year associates to $160,000 and the salary for second-year associates to $170,000 in its Texas and D.C. offices effective Aug. 1, exactly as V&E has done.