The New York office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius last Thursday joined the wave of large New York City law firms raising salaries, in particular first-year salaries from $110,000 to $125,000, with an incentive bonus on top of that. But unlike other firms, the action was not greeted with joy by the associates.
Morgan’s junior and senior associates were upset by the firm’s move to make not only the bonus but a part of the salary contingent on billable hours. They also claimed they stood to earn more under the old system, and that the firm’s decision to defer some of the payments created financial difficulties.
