Steptoe & Johnston was the first of the major Washington, D.C., law firms to match Milbank in the latest round of associate salary raises, but Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr has quickly followed.

Milbank increased its associate salary scale on Jan. 20, with its chairperson citing rising inflation, a strong financial year and the firm’s lawyers “working harder than ever” as reasons behind the pay raise. Milbank is often the first mover in the national war for talent. The firm also kicked off a wave of Big Law associate raises last June.