Compensation & Talent Economics
Milbank's $235K scale keeps widening the associate compensation cascade
Above the Law's running compensation scorecard shows Milbank as the June 2 first mover at $235,000 for the class of 2026/2025 and $455,000 for the class of 2018, with firms including McDermott, Quinn Emanuel, Katten, Susman Godfrey, Wilkinson Stekloff, Desmarais, Kellogg Hansen, Warren and Yetter Coleman moving or matching.
BY ECONOMICS DESK · JUNE 18, 2026 · 1 MIN READ
Above the Law's running compensation scorecard shows Milbank as the June 2 first mover at $235,000 for the class of 2026/2025 and $455,000 for the class of 2018, with firms including McDermott, Quinn Emanuel, Katten, Susman Godfrey, Wilkinson Stekloff, Desmarais, Kellogg Hansen, Warren and Yetter Coleman moving or matching. The scorecard also tracks summer bonuses at several elite boutiques. Salary inflation is a direct pressure on leverage, realization and matter pricing. Firms that match protect recruiting credibility, but firms that cannot convert the cost increase into rates, productivity or premium demand will feel the margin squeeze quickly.