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The primary factor determining whether a law firm associate receives a year-end bonus is not individual performance, firm performance, or firm citizenship. Instead, it is the number of billable hours they've logged, according to the results of a new survey from Law360 Pulse.
The nonequity partner tier is expanding across law firms, but compensation within this group varies widely, ranging from associate-level pay to earnings on par with equity partners. A deciding factor in where they fall on the scale, experts say, is often who brings in the clients.
Most lawyers say they’re satisfied with their compensation— but at firms that are open about pay, satisfaction nearly doubles. Explore our latest analysis of law firm compensation practices and what drives top talent.
Increasing demand and especially rising billing rates have made for a strong first nine months of 2025 for the legal industry, according to a report released Monday by Wells Fargo's Legal Specialty Group, with the top 50 firms by revenue seeing the best performance.
Potter Anderson's representation of Pfizer in a suit against Novo Nordisk and Burr & Forman's work on a $500 million joint partnership lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from Oct. 31 to Nov. 14
McDermott Will & Schulte's confirmation that it is considering taking investment from private equity is part of a wider wave of law firms of all sizes actively exploring the novel maneuver amid mixed opinion as to whether it makes sense for BigLaw.
Sidley Austin LLP and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a Washington federal jury cleared Novo Nordisk of allegations that it defrauded the state's Medicaid and Medicare systems by paying kickbacks and promoting off-label use to illegally boost prescriptions of its hemophilia drug NovoSeven.
Richards Layton & Finger PA asked the Delaware Chancery Court to award $36.04 million in attorneys' fees and expenses following a poaching case involving home health and hospice companies, arguing that the defendants' pervasive bad-faith conduct requires full fee-shifting under the court's 2024 posttrial ruling.
The legal industry had another busy week with more lateral hires and leadership changes, and one BigLaw firm exploring private equity investments.
A group of former federal judges on Thursday condemned what they called "inflammatory remarks" last week by Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche detailing the U.S. Department of Justice's "war" with "rogue activist" judges.
Delaware's former interim U.S. attorney has been appointed acting U.S. attorney after the district court declined to keep her as the top federal prosecutor in the First State when her term expired.
The president of Delaware State University has announced that the school will welcome an in-house attorney who works for the City University of New York School of Medicine to be its next general counsel.
A federal judge on Thursday denied efforts to unseat him and the court-appointed special master overseeing the sale of Citgo's parent company to satisfy billions of dollars in Venezuelan debt, ruling that the motions are both procedurally defective and unmeritorious.
Coinbase told the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday that the cryptocurrency exchange is leaving Delaware to reincorporate in Texas, citing the "increasingly litigious environment in Delaware" and the Lone Star State's recently enacted laws that place numerous restrictions on shareholder suits and help shield executives from investor litigation.
McDermott Will & Schulte on Wednesday acknowledged it is fielding interest from private equity investors, a development that underscores how some of the legal industry's largest players are considering moving to a nontraditional business model.
The attorneys chosen as Law360's 2025 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing significant achievements in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.
U.S. law firms saw an average of double-digit growth in both revenue and inventory during the first nine months of 2025, signifying they're on pace to end the year on a positive note, according to the results of a survey released Monday by Citi Global Wealth at Work.
A newly published report by two Stanford University researchers asserts that high-dollar attorney fee awards in Delaware courts make up "a very small minority of cases" and are "no basis for concern," throwing cold water on growing worries about so-called fee inflation in the First State.
Latham & Watkins LLP and Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Eighth Circuit vacated a National Labor Relations Board ruling that Home Depot illegally forced out a worker who showed support for Black Lives Matter.
BigLaw's push to restore in-person work is picking up speed as more firms require attorneys to spend four days a week in the office. While additional firms are expected to follow, experts say the pace and enforcement will vary widely depending on firm culture, leadership priorities and individual performance.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday cut hundreds of flights following an emergency order to slash air travel at 40 airports as the longest-running government shutdown in history drags on. Here, Law360 Pulse talks to attorneys who travel for work about how the air travel reduction is impacting them.
Delaware's federal court will not appoint the district's current interim U.S. attorney and President Donald Trump's choice for that position to remain in the role, according to a notice from the district's chief judge.
The legal industry kicked off November with another busy week as BigLaw firms launched new office attendance policies and expanded practices. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.
A Delaware vice chancellor Thursday signaled he is prepared to award roughly $10 million in attorney fees to Ross Aronstam & Moritz LLP following the firm's successful challenge to an executive's ouster from Gabb Wireless, saying previous voting and settlement agreements include fee-shifting provisions that apply when a party must mitigate to protect bargained-for governance rights.
A fifth of law students have disabilities, but they feel less supported by their schools than do their nondisabled peers, according to a first-of-its-kind study from Indiana University.
Series
Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Engage With The Media
Business development is all about awareness — and by taking existing skills and adapting them to build media relationships and thereby address today's audiences, lawyers can expand their outreach and use thought leadership to build a more complete, compelling personal brand, says Michael Goodwin at Stanton PR.
When seeking outside legal advisers, general counsel want commercially savvy lawyers who cultivate relationships of trust with their in-house counterparts, back up the GC's authority and focus on actionable advice instead of abstract legal analysis, say Andrew Dick at The L Suite and Rob Morvillo at Olo.
Roundup
Nonprofit Launch Tips From Founders In The Legal Industry
In this season of giving, take a look back at this Law360 series featuring legal professionals who have founded industry-related nonprofits. They discussed the biggest challenges to getting started, and how to balance the launch and management of an organization along with the demands of their primary work.
Series
Generating Confidence In A Legal Nonprofit
I started LawWithoutWalls to change the way legal professionals see and think about their world, and it taught me the importance of giving people a reason to believe in your nonprofit mission, as well as how to achieve work-life integration, says Michele DeStefano at the University of Miami.
Nonequity partners report the lowest satisfaction, highest stress and poorest financial outlook of any group of lawyers, highlighting a growing structural disconnect that leaves attorneys at many firms feeling like the ladder has been pulled up behind those who already ascended, says Jake Carroll at Nelson Mullins.
Series
Building Brand Awareness For A Legal Nonprofit
I co-founded the Bridging the Gap Scholarship as a way to increase minority representation in BigLaw, and my advice for other legal professionals starting a nonprofit is to focus on building brand awareness early on, and to get comfortable delegating work to a dedicated team, says Imani Maatuka at Sidley.
Understanding where colleagues in other practice areas shine can help attorneys confidently cross-sell each other's services and bring in business to keep the firm afloat in hard times, says Joe Calve at Calve Communications.
Series
Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Advertise Ethically
Business development in the legal industry is about building authentic connections and showcasing expertise in a way that reflects reality, and, when done right, it can elevate a practice, establish credibility and bring in clients without risking an ethics violation, says Melody Jackson at Robinhood.
Molly Ranns at the State Bar of Michigan suggests five ways to smooth a colleague's return to practice after short-term mental health leave, while creating a firm culture that protects employees’ emotional health.
Amid a rapidly changing regulatory environment and a fierce market for talent, companies hoping to attract the best chief legal officers must have a strong grasp of their roles’ biggest selling points, and any roadblocks that may prevent them from recruiting the strongest choice, says Heather Fine at Major Lindsey.
As law firms increasingly use certain financial incentives to retain partners in a fierce lateral market, managing partners should consider the pros and cons of various deferred compensation schemes, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.
Many lawyers assume that becoming a rainmaker requires a significant investment of time and effort, but the truth is that building a consistent habit of business development can start with just 10 minutes of strategic outreach a day, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
Certain law firm decisions — such as whether to challenge an executive order — cannot be crowdsourced, but leadership can collaboratively communicate these choices using strategies that build trust, reinforce values and preserve cohesion, says John Hellerman at Hellerman Communications.
Series
Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Create A Succession Plan
Conversations around retirement and succession can be understandably difficult, but when attorneys make a plan for the transition early and effectively, they have the opportunity to not only keep work but also increase it, says Jillian McKenna at Verrill Dana.
In recent years, top-tier law firms have pushed hourly rates to unprecedented heights, with some partners commanding $3,000 per hour — but this eye-popping number doesn’t tell the full story, as there are numerous caveats and rigorous winnowing along the way, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.