What is the 2026 Big Law salary scale?
Milbank set a new scale in a June 2, 2026 memo effective July 1. Base pay starts at $235,000 for first-years and tops out at $455,000 for eighth-years, before bonus. First- through fourth-years went up $10,000. Fifth- through eighth-years went up $20,000. Adding the year-end bonuses from Cravath's November 18, 2025 memo, total cash runs from about $250,000 for a first-year ($235,000 plus the $15,000 prorated first-year bonus) to roughly $570,000 for an eighth-year ($455,000 plus $115,000), before special bonuses. This pairs Milbank's base with Cravath's bonus scale, since the Milbank memo gives base salary only.
The shape of the raise matters more than the first-year number. It favors senior classes, which reads as aimed at the associates who are hardest to replace: the ones a firm has spent five-plus years training, who are one good lateral call away from leaving.
- First year
- Prior base
- $225,000
- Raise
- $10,000
- New base
- $235,000
- Raise as share of prior base
- 4.4%
- Second year
- Prior base
- $235,000
- Raise
- $10,000
- New base
- $245,000
- Raise as share of prior base
- 4.3%
- Third year
- Prior base
- $260,000
- Raise
- $10,000
- New base
- $270,000
- Raise as share of prior base
- 3.8%
- Fourth year
- Prior base
- $310,000
- Raise
- $10,000
- New base
- $320,000
- Raise as share of prior base
- 3.2%
- Fifth year
- Prior base
- $365,000
- Raise
- $20,000
- New base
- $385,000
- Raise as share of prior base
- 5.5%
- Sixth year
- Prior base
- $390,000
- Raise
- $20,000
- New base
- $410,000
- Raise as share of prior base
- 5.1%
- Seventh year
- Prior base
- $420,000
- Raise
- $20,000
- New base
- $440,000
- Raise as share of prior base
- 4.8%
- Eighth year
- Prior base
- $435,000
- Raise
- $20,000
- New base
- $455,000
- Raise as share of prior base
- 4.6%
| Class year | Prior base | Raise | New base | Raise as share of prior base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First year | $225,000 | $10,000 | $235,000 | 4.4% |
| Second year | $235,000 | $10,000 | $245,000 | 4.3% |
| Third year | $260,000 | $10,000 | $270,000 | 3.8% |
| Fourth year | $310,000 | $10,000 | $320,000 | 3.2% |
| Fifth year | $365,000 | $20,000 | $385,000 | 5.5% |
| Sixth year | $390,000 | $20,000 | $410,000 | 5.1% |
| Seventh year | $420,000 | $20,000 | $440,000 | 4.8% |
| Eighth year | $435,000 | $20,000 | $455,000 | 4.6% |
Why did senior associates get the bigger raise?
Senior associates are the chokepoint in litigation and corporate groups we staff. A firm can recruit first-years from summer programs on schedule, but it can't manufacture a sixth-year with deal or trial reps on demand. When a firm bumps the top faster than the bottom, it's pricing that scarcity.
In the offers we see, firms lean on bonus more than base to reward performance. We expect broad base increases to slow in 2026, with retention bonuses doing more work. Two firms at the same base can finish far apart once the bonus structure pays out, so base alone won't tell you what an offer is worth.
- First year$10,000
- Second year$10,000
- Third year$10,000
- Fourth year$10,000
- Fifth year$20,000
- Sixth year$20,000
- Seventh year$20,000
- Eighth year$20,000
Does the Milbank scale go further in lower-cost markets?
Location is the other 2026 shift. When a firm pays the Milbank scale in a lower-cost market, it's offering a raise without changing the dollar figure.
That arbitrage is narrowing. As more firms match the Milbank scale in secondary markets, the cost-of-living edge shrinks without disappearing, and the decision turns back to practice quality and hours, plus the partnership math.
What should firms do if their scale is below the new numbers?
A firm sitting below the new senior numbers isn't out of market for first-years, but it's exposed on fifth- through eighth-years. In our experience, competitors call those associates first after a scale move because they are the ones worth the recruiting cost.
Firms rarely need a full match. They need to decide which classes to hold at market, and where a bonus or a clear partnership timeline does more than base. The firms that lose people in a reset year are usually the ones that revisited the number late, after the calls had already started.
How should associates compare offers after the reset?
Base salary is the easiest part of an offer to see, but it tells you the least. Before signing, get the bonus structure in writing, including how special and retention bonuses are determined and what hours expectation sits behind them. For senior classes, two offers at the same base can end up tens of thousands of dollars apart in total cash one year later.
Look at the full package against billable expectations and the partnership path. Pick a firm where you can picture staying four years from now.