Corporate and M&A attorney recruiters
We recruit corporate and finance attorneys for Am Law and regional law firms. Share your deal background, and we will benchmark your market options.
- We recruit for Am Law 100 and Am Law 200 firms and regional full-service firms.
- Posted base ranges from $180,000 at one to four years to $360,000 at four to seven years.
- Billable targets mostly between 1,800 and 1,950 hours.
- Strictly confidential representation with no cost to the attorney.
- 4,000+
- Lawyers at firms ITG recruits corporate and finance attorneys for
- 20+
- States, plus DC, where those firms have offices
- Am Law 100
- to regional and New York corporate firms
- $455K
- Top of the Big Law base scale, eighth year
Why corporate and M&A attorneys work with ITG
ITG recruits corporate, M&A, and finance attorneys for law firms. Our market guidance comes from ITG recruiting data and attorney interviews as of October 2026.
- Law firm caliber
- We recruit for Am Law and regional full-service firms. These law firms employ more than 4,000 lawyers combined across offices in more than 20 states and Washington, D.C.
- Recent placements
- Placement details are anonymized, and we share them only with permission.
- Hiring partner criteria
- Firms screen for direct sub-practice alignment and bar admission where the office sits. Partner books run from about $325,000 at a regional firm to $500,000 or more at a growing New York and New Jersey firm.
- Recruiting data
- Compensation figures come from roles we recruited for and interviews with corporate attorneys from 2024 to 2026. We track how regional base pay compares to the standard Big Law scale.
Corporate and M&A attorneys we've placed
Placements are anonymized without attorney names or firm identities, and we share career transition details only with permission.
- 2026: a junior corporate associate joined an Am Law 200 firm in Atlanta.
- 2026: a mid-level M&A attorney joined a Texas full-service firm in Houston.
- A corporate attorney joined an Am Law 200 firm in Ohio.
What do corporate and M&A attorneys make in 2026?
Ideal Talent Group recruits corporate and M&A attorneys for Am Law and regional law firms. As of October 2026, the figures and hiring requirements on this page come directly from ITG recruiting data for law firm clients and interviews with attorneys.
Posted base ranges at mid-size and regional firms, and at Am Law offices outside New York, run from $180,000 to $220,000 for one to four years of experience, and $200,000 to $360,000 for four to seven years. Posted ranges at these firms sit below the Big Law scale, where base pay spans $235,000 for first-years to $455,000 for eighth-years under the Milbank June 2026 scale. Mid-levels at scale-paying firms earn $270,000 to $385,000 base in years three through five. Some take below scale for lower hours or location; others want scale matched.
The corporate attorneys we interview cluster in New York City, Dallas, the San Francisco Bay Area, Atlanta and Florida. Partner pay is set by the portable book and whether a team comes along.
Most billable targets in regional roles fall between 1,800 and 1,950 hours. Big Law associates looking to move report hours well past 2,000. Bonuses are discretionary, with some firms paying once the billable target is met. Most positions require work in the office. Some M&A and securities roles allowed hybrid, and fully remote came up only as a partner-level exception; see remote and hybrid attorney jobs.
Firms recruit for M&A transactions alongside commercial lending and credit facilities. Private equity deal work is the main experience among the M&A attorneys we talk to.
| Experience | Base pay |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 years | $180,000 to $220,000 |
| 4 to 7 years | $200,000 to $360,000 |
| Partners | Set by portable business |
| All lawyers, all employers, U.S. mean (BLS) | $185,840 |
Ranges as posted by hiring firms in roles ITG recruited for at mid-size, regional and Am Law firms outside New York, April to August 2026; bonuses not included. Big Law pays more; its scale is below. As of October 2026.
How we got these numbers: Figures reflect ITG recruiting data for law firm clients from April to August 2026 and attorney self-reported numbers from interviews conducted between February 2024 and September 2026. Data from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 covers all lawyers across all employers, which is why it runs lower than law firm pay.
Updated
Big Law associate base salary and year-end bonus, as of July 2026
Large firms on the market scale pay the same base by class year. Most mid-size and regional firms we recruit corporate attorneys for pay below it.
| Class year | Base from July 2026 | 2025 year-end bonus |
|---|---|---|
| First year (class of 2025) | $235,000 | $15,000 (prorated) |
| Second year (class of 2024) | $245,000 | $20,000 |
| Third year (class of 2023) | $270,000 | $30,000 |
| Fourth year (class of 2022) | $320,000 | $57,500 |
| Fifth year (class of 2021) | $385,000 | $75,000 |
| Sixth year (class of 2020) | $410,000 | $90,000 |
| Seventh year (class of 2019) | $440,000 | $105,000 |
| Eighth year (class of 2018) | $455,000 | $115,000 |
What corporate and M&A hiring partners screen for
Direct sub-practice alignment
Hiring partners want experience in specific deal structures, such as M&A or commercial lending. Generalists and litigators trying to switch make up much of the applicant flow for these roles.
Mid-level deal leadership
The heaviest demand targets associates with three to seven years of practice who run transactions independently. Firms want associates who can run deals and manage complex files on their own.
Jurisdiction and bar admission
Firms want bar admission where the office is. New York roles require the New York bar and Dallas finance roles require Texas. Michigan roles take a Michigan license or a plan to get one.
Academic cutoffs and training pedigree
Some New York firms consider only Big Law-trained associates. Some firms set class-rank cutoffs as high as the top 10 percent, and firms ask for transcripts and writing samples up front.
Portable books for lateral partners
Partners considering a move must show portable business. Book requirements in roles we've recruited for ran from about $325,000 at a regional firm to $500,000 or more at a growing New York and New Jersey firm.
Leaving Big Law for a regional or mid-size firm: what changes
Base pay changes when you leave Big Law for a regional or mid-size firm. Under the Milbank June 2026 memo, the Big Law scale runs from $235,000 for first-year associates to $455,000 for eighth-year associates, with mid-levels in years three through five earning $270,000 to $385,000 base. Every posted range in the regional and mid-size roles we recruited for sat below that scale: $180,000 to $220,000 at one to four years and $200,000 to $360,000 at four to seven.
Hours change too. Most targets in those roles fall between 1,800 and 1,950, while corporate lawyers leaving Big Law describe hours well past 2,000. Some take below-scale pay for lighter hours or a better location. Others want scale matched.
Why corporate attorneys change firms
Corporate attorneys leave over thin or uneven deal flow, including layoffs after rate-driven slowdowns, and over Big Law hours well past 2,000. Some juniors are the only junior on their deal teams, with no support or training. Others want out of a mixed practice into all-transactional work, or out of a niche such as repo or CMBS into core M&A or finance.
Common deal-breakers include a cut from current base for associates already on scale, five days in office and billable targets above about 1,950. Corporate attorneys also turn down roles that drift into litigation or pay discretionary bonuses only. Partners focus on how origination credit works and how often it pays.
Open corporate and finance positions
Each firm is confidential. We name the firm before anything about you is shared, and we don't share résumés or names without your permission.
- Finance AssociateDallas, TX · In office · 4 to 6 years$200,000 to $250,000
- Commercial Lending AssociateNashville, TN · In office · 2 to 8 years
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Common Questions
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