Helping associates take the next big step.
A bigger salary is only part of the picture. The question is whether the new role is a better one, and that comes down to the work, the hours, and your real chances at partner. We look into all of that first and tell you what we find. If a move isn't a genuine step up, we'll say so.
- Confidential from the first message. Your current firm never hears from us.
- The current market salary scale by class year, and where your firm sits against it.
- What the hours and the partner track are like, from people who work there.
- No cost to you, ever. The hiring firm pays our fee.
Good associates in busy practices always have options, even when the market cools. Right now the openings cluster in insurance defense, labor and employment, litigation of most kinds, coverage, and real estate. When a firm finds the person it wants, it moves fast. Our searches tend to run about five to six weeks from first call to a signed offer.
The mistake associates make is moving for a number without checking the rest. A higher base at a firm with a much higher billable target, or one with no real path to partner, isn't a better job. We screen the seat on the things that decide whether you stay: the work, the hours, the people, and the track.
What your practice area pays at each experience level
These base salary ranges come from ITG's 2026 data on mid-size and regional firms, broken out by practice area and years of experience. Find your row, then treat the typical figure as the median offer rather than the ceiling.
Pick a practice area and years of experience. The range comes from the same data as the table below.
| Practice | 1–2 yr | 3–4 yr | 5–7 yr | 8–14 yr | 15+ yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance defense | $115–140K typical $130K | $125–170K typical $150K | $120–190K typical $150K | $135–215K typical $175K | $150–225K typical $200K |
| Commercial & civil litigation | $110–150K typical $135K | $110–170K typical $150K | $125–185K typical $150K | $125–180K typical $150K | $120–200K typical $155K |
| Labor & employment | $120–150K typical $135K | $115–170K typical $140K | $120–175K typical $150K | $140–240K typical $175K | $160–300K typical $200K |
| Corporate & transactional | $130–200K typical $155K | $100–180K typical $140K | $125–215K typical $180K | $130–205K typical $175K | $100–275K typical $165K |
| Real estate (directional, smaller sample) | $100–120K typical $105K | $100–175K typical $155K | $115–160K typical $150K | $150–160K typical $150K | $100–350K |
| Personal injury (plaintiff) | $100–140K typical $120K | $115–175K typical $125K | $130–180K typical $150K | $135–200K typical $170K | $150–250K typical $180K |
| Family law | $95–130K typical $100K | $100–150K typical $100K | $100–150K typical $120K | $115–160K typical $140K | n/a |
- * Directional: a smaller sample than the other rows.
- Commercial & civil litigation: Commercial litigation pay levels off after about year five unless the attorney moves to a larger firm, where senior associates and of counsel can reach $240K to $310K.
- Corporate & transactional: The 15+ year corporate band is directional.
- Real estate: Senior real estate of counsel and partners often sit at $275K and above. That's why the 15+ band runs so wide.
- Personal injury (plaintiff): Base understates total pay in plaintiff work; contingency and case bonuses often add materially on top.
What the numbers say
- Pay moves up one experience band at a time. Typical insurance defense base runs about $130K at one to two years, $150K at five to seven, $175K at eight to fourteen, and $200K past fifteen.
- Candidates ask 10 to 20 percent above what regional firms pay. A one to two year insurance defense associate asks about $128K and accepts about $115K. Firms should budget low to mid range.
- Labor and employment and corporate pay the most at the junior level, and insurance defense and personal injury catch up by mid career. Family law sits lowest in every experience band.
- The seniority premium is largest in labor and employment and insurance defense, where typical base at fifteen years and up reaches $200K. It's smallest in commercial litigation, which flattens after year five.
These figures come from our own placements and candidate conversations across Florida, Georgia, Texas, California, and New York. Pay varies by market and firm, so ask us about your city and practice.
Big Law market pay by class year
Big Law is the part of the market that follows a published scale. This is the base and year-end bonus most AM Law firms match, as of July 2026 (the scale Milbank set and the market matched). Most firms outside Big Law don't follow it, which is what the table above covers.
| Class year | Market base | Year-end bonus |
|---|---|---|
| First year | $235,000 | $20,000 |
| Second year | $245,000 | $30,000 |
| Third year | $270,000 | $57,500 |
| Fourth year | $320,000 | $75,000 |
| Fifth year | $385,000 | $90,000 |
| Sixth year | $410,000 | $105,000 |
| Seventh year | $440,000 | $115,000 |
| Eighth year+ | $455,000 | $115,000 |
What we screen the seat on
A bigger base is easy to quote. Whether the job is better takes more than that, so we check the parts that decide whether you're glad you moved a year later.
The work
The practice group's real matters and how associates get staffed, so you're not trading one commodity docket for another.
Hours and billables
The real target and the culture around it, from people who work there. Across the mid-size and regional firms we work with, 1,800 hours is the most common target, then 1,900 and 1,850. A few ask 1,950 to 2,000. Others set targets as low as 1,500 to 1,700.
Partnership track
Whether the path to partner is real, how long it takes, and how many associates make it.
Compensation, in full
Base against the market scale, the bonus structure, and whether the number still looks good once the hours are factored in.
The timing
Where your class year sits against what the group needs right now, because the same background lands differently in year three than in year six. If waiting a year would put you in a stronger position, we'll tell you to wait, even when it means we don't have a placement for you today.
Real recruiters who know the legal market.
You work with one person who specializes in your practice and keeps your search confidential.
How much does an associate at my level make right now?
Most AM Law firms match a common market scale. As of July 2026 it runs from $235,000 base for a first-year up to $455,000 for a senior associate, with year-end bonuses from $20,000 to $115,000 on top. Regional and mid-size firms often pay below that scale but ask for fewer hours. We'll tell you exactly where a specific firm lands and how its hours change the real picture.
Will my current firm know I'm looking?
No. Conversations are confidential from the first message, nothing about you is shared without your explicit permission, and we never present your name to a firm you haven't approved.
Do I need a certain class year or credentials?
We place associates from junior through senior, along with of counsel. Your practice area, the quality of your training, and your market matter more than a specific class year. Tell us where you are and we'll tell you what your options look like.
What if I'm not sure I want to move?
That's most of the people we talk to. A confidential conversation costs you nothing and gives you a real read on the market. If nothing beats where you are, we'll say so.
When is the best time to lateral as an associate?
Research consensus puts litigation associates at their most marketable around years three and four, and corporate associates around years three through six. By then you've handled enough matters to be useful on day one, and a group doesn't have to train you from the ground up. Wait much longer and your class year costs more while firms get pickier about the exact experience they want. Earlier and later moves happen all the time, usually when a group is short-handed or needs one specific skill.
How long does a lateral move take?
From the first conversation to a signed offer, most of our searches run about five to six weeks. After that you give notice, usually two to four weeks, and the firm finishes its conflicts check before you can start. Interview scheduling is what stretches the timeline most, because partner calendars are the bottleneck. A search can close faster when a group is short-staffed and the seat is already approved.
Do I need a legal recruiter to lateral, and how do recruiters get paid?
You don't. Associates apply directly and land good seats every day, and if you already have the introduction, use it. What a good recruiter adds is knowing which groups are hiring now instead of which postings are stale, and what the hours and the partner track look like inside a group. We'll also push on compensation so you don't have to do it in your own voice. The hiring firm pays our fee, never the candidate, so there's no cost to you at any stage.
What do firms look for in a lateral associate?
Practice fit comes first. They want someone who has done the work the group is busy with, and they want the experience to match the class year, because a fifth year who hasn't taken a deposition or run a closing is a harder sell than a third year who has. Your writing sample gets read closely, and a specific answer to why this firm and this group carries more weight than most candidates expect. References and bar admissions get checked before an offer goes out. Timing counts too, since a group that just lost two associates will move on a background a fully staffed group would set aside.
What changes if I move from Big Law to a mid-size or regional firm?
Pay usually drops below the market scale, and how far depends on the city and the practice. In exchange the billable target tends to be lower and the path to partner is often shorter and easier to read. The work can get broader sooner, because smaller teams mean you argue the motion or run the closing yourself instead of watching six people staffed above you. The trade isn't right for everyone. If the size of the matters is what you like about your current seat, you'll feel that difference, and it's better to weigh it now than a year in.
How do I know what I'm worth at a mid-size or regional firm?
Find your practice area and years of experience in the table. The range is the middle half of what ITG saw in 2026, and the typical figure is the median. Most candidates ask 10 to 20 percent above what regional firms pay, so expect offers in the low to mid part of your band. The top of a range goes to attorneys who can point at specific experience a firm is hiring for.
Is there any cost to me?
No. Our fee is paid by the hiring firm, never by the candidate. Working with us costs you nothing at any stage.