New York firm offers new lawyers unprecedented $235,000 salaries – $20,000 more than closest rivals
Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors is set to pay its newly qualified lawyers an unprecedented $235,000 (~£172,500) a year, in offering $20,000 more than rival US firms.
The firm’s decision to up pay for its first-year associates to $235,000 a year comes after New York firm Milbank sparked a fresh bidding war in January, after raising its first years’ salaries to $215,000.
Brewer’s decision to up the stakes puts the firm well ahead of its closest rivals, after Goodwin Procter previously topped the league tables in January by offering its trainees £161,500 a year. The firm said its consultants will also get a pay rise.
Founded in Dallas, Texas in 1984, Brewer has a long history of paying out significantly higher salaries than its rivals. The firm now has offices on Main Street in Dallas and on New York’s Lexington Avenue.
After opening its New York office in 1986, the firm vowed to outbid its East Coast rivals, with offers of $70,000 a year salaries for its first-year associates.
In explaining its decision to up its first years salaries, Brewer said the firm had “enjoyed a stellar 2021,” during which it acted on behalf of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
The firm said it is also fighting a lawsuit against Uber, on behalf of “Jane Doe” – an anonymous woman who says she was attacked by an Uber driver. The woman says she was left with a fractured shoulder after being attacked in 2018.
In communicating the pay rises to employees, managing partner William Brewer III congratulated staff for their “unwavering commitment to winning.”