The median first-year associate salary hit $200,000 in January, rising to $215,000 in the largest firms with more than 700 lawyers, according to the report, “2025 U.S. Associate Salary Survey,” by National Association for Law Placement.
Nikia Gray, executive director of NALP, said without the stiff competition of the talent wars to push it along, the market is not moving as quickly to follow the few big firms who announced first-year pay increases in the last cycle.
“Most notably, while some firms are now offering an eye-popping $225,000 entry-level salary, the overall median first-year salary and the median first-year salary at the largest firms remained flat compared to the figures NALP reported in 2023,” Gray said. “The market softened over the last two years and there is less pressure on firms to increase salaries in order to remain competitive.”
While some large law firms boosted entry-level associate salaries to $225,000 in late 2023 and early 2024, most have yet to follow suit.
Only 32% of offices reported offering this amount to first-year hires, though the rate was higher at 45% among firms of 701+ lawyers. Still, $225,000 emerged as the most frequently reported salary figure, suggesting a potential trend. In many cases, it takes at least two years for salary increases to ripple through the legal industry.
Entry-level associate compensation can also vary significantly by market, and in fact, in six cities (Austin, Boston, Houston, New York City, San Francisco and the Washington, D.C. area), the median starting salary has reached $225,000.
It is important to note that because the respondent pool for the survey varies each year, the use of the “Associate Salary Survey” data across different years to discern trends should be done with caution, as these analyses do not contain salary scales for a set group of firms.
Salary adjustments on the part of some large firms in recent years and law firm acquisitions and mergers can result in the size of a law firm changing, and fluctuations in the distribution of respondents play a role in determining changes in median salaries within the report.
Key insights
While several firms raised its first-year associate salaries to $225,000 in late 2023 and 2024, the overall median salary remained at $200,000 across all participating law offices. Among the largest firms with more than 700 lawyers, the median was higher at $215,000 but still shy of the $225,000 figure.
Although the median first-year salary has not yet reached $225,000, it was the modal, or most frequently reported figure, accounting for 32% of all entry-level base salaries and 45% among offices in firms of 701+ lawyers.
Geography continues to have a considerable impact on salary differences across regions, cities and states. This year’s report contains analyses of 19 cities, as well as additional states and regions not encompassed by those cities. These analyses reveal a wide spectrum of law firm compensation, with median first-year salaries ranging from $170,000 to $225,000 across those cities.
Six of those 19 cities now offer a median entry-level associate salary of $225,000: Austin, Boston, Houston, New York City, San Francisco and the Washington, DC area.
NALP’s analyses also include regional salary data for locations outside of the 19 cities included in the report. Starting salaries of $225,000 are found less frequently in offices in smaller U.S. cities and towns. For locations outside of the major markets included in the report, the highest median first-year associate base salary was in the West ($181,900), followed by the Northeast ($170,000). The lowest salaries were in the South and Midwest, with a median first-year salary of $160,000.
For intellectual property associates, median salaries were typically higher, with a median first-year salary of $225,000.
The median weekly salary for second-year summer associates in 2025 was $3,850 across all firms, and $4,100 in the largest firms of more than 700 lawyers.
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of law offices offered judicial clerkship bonuses, although bonus amounts varied by type of clerkship.
Participation in the survey from firms with more than 250 lawyers accounted for 87% of the 437 respondents, up from 81% in 2023.
The “2025 U.S. Associate Salary Survey” report provides information about U.S. associate and summer associate salaries by firm size, region, and the metropolitan area population; detailed salary analyses for 19 major markets; analyses of salaries for offices using a levels-based compensation system; base salaries for Class of 2025 associates by firm size and city; salaries for intellectual property lawyers, salaries for law clerks and staff attorneys; and more.
The full report is available for purchase at www.nalp.org/bookstore.
