Chicago is different than Cincinnati. Los Angeles is different than Cleveland. Because we have such disparate geographies, we think compensating at an appropriate market rate is the way to go. Some firms, their offices are primarily in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, and it might be an easier decision there [to have a unified pay setup] because those markets are similar.

— Josh Lorentz, chair of Dinsmore & Shohl’s finance committee, commenting on the firm’s salary structure during an interview with the American Lawyer. Dinsmore’s first-year associate salary structure ranges from $100,000 to $175,000, based largely on the market where its offices are located. The firm believes that rather than unifying its pay across the country, different market settings must be taken into consideration to fairly compensate its attorneys.

googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Enable lazy loading. googletag.pubads().enableLazyLoad({ renderMarginPercent: 150, mobileScaling: 2 }); // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-top-300x250" ); googletag.enableServices(); });

Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Enable lazy loading. googletag.pubads().enableLazyLoad({ renderMarginPercent: 150, mobileScaling: 2 }); // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-middle-300x250" ); googletag.enableServices(); }); googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Enable lazy loading. googletag.pubads().enableLazyLoad({ renderMarginPercent: 150, mobileScaling: 2 }); // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-bottom-300x250" ); googletag.enableServices(); }); Enter your email address to sign up for ATL's Bonus & Salary Increase Alerts. hbspt.forms.create({ css: '', portalId: '470182', formId: '918f9998-ad56-4438-b7e2-7d3c4676b70e' }); #hs-form-918f9998-ad56-4438-b7e2-7d3c4676b70e { border: 1px solid #e2e2e2; border-width: 1px 0; margin: 15px auto; padding: 15px 0; } #shs-form-918f9998-ad56-4438-b7e2-7d3c4676b70e h2 { font-size: 24px; line-height: 28px; } #hs-form-918f9998-ad56-4438-b7e2-7d3c4676b70e > p { color: #666; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0.625rem 0 1.25rem; } #shs-form-918f9998-ad56-4438-b7e2-7d3c4676b70e form { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: flex-start; } #shs-form-918f9998-ad56-4438-b7e2-7d3c4676b70e form .hs_email label { display: none; } #hs-form-918f9998-ad56-4438-b7e2-7d3c4676b70e .hbspt-form { background: none; padding: 0; } #hs-form-918f9998-ad56-4438-b7e2-7d3c4676b70e .hbspt-form div { display: inline-block; margin: 0; padding: 0; } #hs-form-918f9998-ad56-4438-b7e2-7d3c4676b70e input[type=submit].primary { background-color: #6288a5; background-image: none; cursor: pointer; padding: 8px 20px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; } #email-918f9998-ad56-4438-b7e2-7d3c4676b70e { border-radius: 0; font-size: 22px; margin-right: 8px; padding: 5px; vertical-align: middle; width: 300px; border: 1px solid #999999; background: white; box-shadow: inset 0 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); height: 50px; outline: none; font-family: "Proxima Nova", "proxima-nova", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: #666666; -moz-border-radius: 0; -o-border-radius: 0; -webkit-border-radius: 0; } Topics

2022 Associate Salary Increase, Biglaw, Bonus News Alerts, Bonuses, Money, Quote of the Day