For the second time this month, I get to wish you all a Happy New Year! This week marks the lunar new year, which under the Chinese zodiac is the Year of the Tiger—a symbol of power and an animal deemed brave, cruel, forceful and unpredictable. Sounds like the legal industry!

Speaking of unpredictability: When Milbank announced this month it was raising base salaries for associates again—the second time in a year—I held my breath, waiting for the onslaught of firms to match. After all, that’s what they did the last time Milbank set the bar back in June. As a result, one of the major stories of the past year has revolved around these associate pay wars, as law firms around the world sought—and continue to seek—ways to retain badly needed talent.