The $225,000 Starting Salary: How Big Law Associates Make Bank

Posted on 12/01/2025
|

Big law associates are the worker bees of their firms, often working long days to meet annual targets of around 2,000 billable hours. The financial rewards are substantial: starting salaries at top tier law firms begin at $225,000 annually, with increases based on seniority. Despite the demanding schedule, these lucrative compensation packages motivate many associates to work long hours, often sacrificing personal time.

The "Cravath scale," named after the prestigious firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore, is the benchmark for associate compensation. It follows a "lockstep" model, where pay is based on seniority. Bloomberg Law breaks down how it works and why the system is still used today.

Produced by Paul Detrick; Senior Producer: Andrew Satter; Story Editor & Executive Producer: Josh Block

--------

More on Bloomberg Television and Markets



Like this video? Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss any videos from Bloomberg Markets & Finance: https://tinyurl.com/ysu5b8a9

Visit http://www.bloomberg.com for business news & analysis, up-to-the-minute market data, features, profiles and more.



Connect with Bloomberg Television on:

X: https://twitter.com/BloombergTV

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BloombergTelevision

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloombergtv/



Connect with Bloomberg Business on:

X: https://twitter.com/business

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloombergbusiness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloombergbusiness/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bloombergbusiness?lang=en

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/bloomberg/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bloomberg-news/



More from Bloomberg:

Bloomberg Radio: https://twitter.com/BloombergRadio



Bloomberg Surveillance: https://twitter.com/bsurveillance

Bloomberg Politics: https://twitter.com/bpolitics

Bloomberg Originals: https://twitter.com/bbgoriginals



Watch more on YouTube:

Bloomberg Technology: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergTechnology

Bloomberg Originals: https://www.youtube.com/@business

Bloomberg Quicktake: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergQuicktake

Bloomberg Espanol: https://www.youtube.com/@bloomberg_espanol

Bloomberg Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergPodcasts