Labor and employment attorney recruiters
We recruit labor and employment attorneys for Am Law firms and employment boutiques. Share your background, and we will match your practice with the right billable expectations and compensation goals.
- We recruit for Am Law 100 and Am Law 200 firms and employment boutiques.
- Posted base ranges run from $170,000 outside California to $365,000 at Am Law 100 firms in California.
- Pay data from law firm ranges and our attorney interviews.
- Confidential representation at no cost to you, with fees paid by the hiring law firm.
- 4,500+
- Lawyers at firms ITG recruits labor and employment attorneys for
- 30+
- States, plus DC, where those firms have offices
- Am Law 100
- to management-side and plaintiff employment boutiques
- $365K
- Top of associate base pay in California roles we recruited for
Why labor & employment attorneys work with ITG
Ideal Talent Group recruits labor and employment lawyers for Am Law firms and specialized boutiques. We evaluate law firm platforms against your billable hour limits and target base compensation.
- Firm caliber and reach
- Our clients range from Am Law 100 and Am Law 200 firms to employment boutiques on both sides of the bar. Together they employ more than 4,500 lawyers, with offices in more than 30 states and DC.
- Recent placements
- Placement details are anonymized, and we share them only with permission.
- What hiring partners screen for
- Firms ask about case types, depositions, trials and billable hours. Am Law 100 roles in California also ask for a law school transcript and writing samples. We brief you on each firm's screening criteria before your materials go to a hiring committee.
- Where our pay data comes from
- Our pay figures come from the ranges law firms gave us and from what attorneys told us in interviews. Interview figures are self-reported.
Labor and employment attorneys we've placed
Placement records are anonymized to protect candidate confidentiality, and we share specific details only with prior permission.
- 2026: a senior labor and employment attorney joined a national management-side employment firm on the Am Law 200, in Los Angeles.
- A labor and employment attorney joined a Los Angeles litigation firm.
- A labor and employment attorney joined a management-side labor firm in the Midwest.
- An employment litigator joined a national management-side employment firm on the Am Law 200.
What do labor and employment attorneys make in 2026?
Ideal Talent Group recruits labor and employment attorneys for Am Law firms and boutique practices. Our client firms employ more than 4,500 lawyers across offices in more than 30 states. ITG recruiting data and attorney interviews form the basis of our market compensation findings.
Posted base ranges for management-side associates in California run $210,000 to $335,000 for two to six years of practice, with Am Law 100 roles reaching $365,000. Outside California, posted base ranges run $170,000 to $245,000 for two to ten years. In our candidate interviews, the median base is $180,000 at three to five years and remains $180,000 at six to nine years. Senior California counseling roles have topped $375,000.
The most common ask from California firms is wage and hour class action and Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) experience. California plaintiff-side mid-level roles have posted $150,000 to $200,000 base plus a share of fees.
Annual billable hour expectations typically run 1,800 to 2,000 hours, centered at 1,850. Management-side associates we interview often bill 2,000 to 2,300 hours and set 1,800 to 1,900 hours as their firm ceiling for a next move. Firms structure positions as hybrid arrangements or in-office attendance. Bonuses remain mostly discretionary, determined by billable hours and overall performance.
Firms screen by sub-practice. Wage and hour class action and PAGA defense is the most common California ask; other roles want wage and hour defense, single-plaintiff litigation, counseling or NLRB unfair labor practice work. Some partner roles require a portable book, and some senior or non-equity partner roles don't.
| Role or group | Base pay |
|---|---|
| California, management side, 2 to 6 years | $210,000 to $335,000 |
| California, Am Law 100, 2+ years | Up to $365,000 |
| Outside California, 2 to 10 years | $170,000 to $245,000 |
| California, plaintiff side, mid-level | $150,000 to $200,000 plus a share of fees |
| Median current base, 0 to 2 years (interviews) | $127,500 |
| Median current base, 3 to 9 years (interviews) | $180,000 |
| Median current base, 10+ years (interviews) | $200,000 |
| All lawyers, all employers, California mean (BLS) | $230,040 |
Ranges as posted or quoted by hiring firms in roles ITG recruited for, April to September 2026; bonuses not included. Interview medians are what employment attorneys reported to ITG. As of October 2026.
How we got these numbers: Compensation figures draw from ITG recruiting data for law firm clients from April to September 2026 and candidate interviews conducted from January 2024 to October 2026. Candidate figures reflect reported earnings, whereas the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 benchmark includes all lawyers across public and private employers.
Updated
What labor and employment hiring firms screen for
Academic credentials and writing samples
Am Law 100 firms in California ask for law school transcripts and writing samples alongside your résumé. Some boutiques screen on law school rank and GPA and prefer federal clerkships.
Wage and hour class action experience
California employers prioritize experience with wage and hour class actions and Private Attorneys General Act claims. Hiring partners evaluate the specific case types you managed, along with your deposition and trial record.
Counseling and agency proceedings
Senior counseling candidates should show seven to ten years of advisory experience. Firms evaluate your familiarity with National Labor Relations Board unfair labor practice matters and single-plaintiff litigation.
Jurisdiction and defense background
Every California position requires an active state bar license. Some management-side firms want prior defense experience and look for familiarity with billable practice.
Why labor and employment attorneys change firms
Pay is the reason labor and employment lawyers give first: base below peers and discretionary bonuses that don't arrive. Others see no clear path up, either a vague partner track or a firm too small to grow in.
Workload and turnover push others out. Plaintiff lawyers describe carrying 40 to 70 cases each, and when colleagues leave, their cases go to whoever stays. Some were hired for employment work and then pulled into insurance defense or general litigation after a merger or reorganization.
On the management side, attorneys mention billable pressure and being the only labor and employment lawyer in an office. Common deal-breakers in candidate interviews include billable requirements above 1,900 hours, mandatory full-time office attendance, and pay cuts.
Moving from plaintiff-side to management-side employment work
Plaintiff-side associates face a distinct compensation gap when compared to defense peers. At three to five years of practice, management-side associates report a median base salary of $180,000, compared to $140,000 for plaintiff-side attorneys. Plaintiff pay leans on fee commissions: a single-digit percentage of fees, and more on cases the attorney brings in.
Defense-side firms often want some defense experience, and some require it. Plaintiff lawyers can lead with single-plaintiff litigation, the depositions they've taken and their writing.
Open labor and employment 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.
- Labor & Employment Non Equity PartnerNew York, NY · In office · 10+ years$215,000 to $315,000
- Labor & Employment AssociateLong Beach, CA · Hybrid · 2 to 5 years$180,000 to $200,000
- Labor & Employment AttorneyLos Angeles, CA · Hybrid · 3 to 6 years$215,000 to $335,000
- Employment AssociateLong Beach, CA
- Labor & Employment Counseling AssociateLos Angeles, CA · In office · 7 to 10 years$375,000 to $400,000
- Labor & Employment AssociateLos Angeles, CA · In office · 2+ years$225,000 to $365,000
Real recruiters who know the legal market.
You work with one person who specializes in your practice and keeps your search confidential.
Common Questions
What is the typical labor and employment associate salary?
What's the difference between labor law and employment law jobs?
Do California law firms have to post salary ranges?
How do employment lawyers get paid?
How much does it cost to use a legal recruiter?
Will my current law firm find out I am speaking with a recruiter?
Can plaintiff-side employment attorneys transition to management-side defense?
What do law firms screen for in lateral labor and employment attorneys?
Talk to a recruiter who knows your market
Tell us what you practice and what you'd want in a next seat. A recruiter will reach out, usually within one business day. It's confidential and free, and we don't share résumés or names without your permission.