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Florida > Topics > Info on Starting Salaries in South Flori...


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Anonymous
Info on Starting Salaries in South Florida

I just wanted to post and provide recent graduates with realistic salary expectations in South Florida. The range is very big for firms in the small to midsized category. Obviously the big firms have salaries ranging from the 110's to 165K. Those jobs have been filled by students on law review and with connections. So, what do the rest of you have to expect? Anywhere from the 50K to low 100K range. Most of you will fall into the 60-80K range. A midsized firm with 30+ attorneys should be paying at least 70-80k to start. Don't let firms lowball you. If they do, tell them you are very excited about the offer but you know what the market rate is for first year attorneys and ask them if there is any wiggle room for them to be more competitive with the going rate for new attorneys. The 50K range should be reserved for special circumstances and those of you going to more 9-5 type atmospheres such as immigration or wills and trusts. There are a quite a few large Florida firms that start in the 90-100K range such as Broad and Cassel, Stearns Weaver, Carlton Fields. Insurance Defense firms typically start a bit lower. For example Cole, Scott and Kissane starts at 65K moving to 70K either after getting admitted or by Christmas time. Wicker Smith starts a bit higher. I hope this helps. The best way for all of us to ensure that our salaries increase is to share any information on salaries you have with your peers and on websites like this. The smaller firms don't report their salaries for a reason. They are trying to lowball everyone and have an unspoken understanding among other small firms that not reporting makes it easier for all of the firms to set their own starting salary and not have to adhere to market rates. Let's stop the madness and get paid what we deserve!
 
Author Posts
Anonymous
You mentioned Wicker Smith starts a little higher...do you know how much? And also what about for lateral attorneys?

Reply 10-05-2007 02:45 PM
Anonymous

Law firms are making an investment when hiring first year attorneys.  First year associates are a liability, not an asset as they cost the firm money.  They will spend 8 -10 hours an a project that would take a more experience attorney 2 or 3 hours, and it then has to be reviewed by another attorney and most of that time cannot be billed back to the client. There is a huge learning curve the first year and new associates should focus their energy on learning what they need to do their job and stop worrying about what everyone else is making.  Find a firm willing to train you, one that will let you attend depos and hearings with another attorney and not just shove you in a corner to do research for your first six months.



Reply 10-27-2007 07:22 AM
Anonymous
To the last anonymous poster. I couldn't disagree with you more. I actually am very close friends with the controller at my law firm and I know that first year associates today actually begin to generate revenue for a firm far more quickly than associates of years past.Today's associate enters the workforce with clerkship and internship experience that was not necessary and not the norm ten years ago. I do think finding a firm where you will gain good tangible experience is more important than money. However, rising tuition costs have left graduates with more obligatory bills to pay than years past. The cold, hard truth is that while large large firms have increased salaries to keep up with the rising cost of living and market rates, the mid sized and small firms don't publish salaries and encourage associates to keep them a secret so they can keep more money in their pockets and not raise salaries to market level. A first year associate today is ten times more valuable than a first year associate of ten years ago. They know more about how to practice law because today's market place forces them to have work experience before they get out of law school. I never took 8-10 hours to do a project that would take a more experienced associate 2-3. While things did take me longer in the beginning, I like most associates didn't bill the actual time it took me and worked longer hours to compensate. There have been associate surveys that show that first and second year associates actually tend to under-bill their time and it is in large part attributable to the attitude promulgated in the post above. Associates begin to generate revenue for a firm anywhere from day one to a few months after starting. Even if the antiquated theory regarding the "first year liability" is true, firms need to raise salaries to market rate to help aid in firm retention which would overall help the firm's bottom line. If you lost an associate after the first year or two because you don't pay them properly, then you never recoup this money that you purport to have spent training them!

Reply 11-01-2007 05:18 PM
kastetx

Member Since : 06-08-2006
Total Post : 4

Hi everyone.

I am relocationg to Miami and would like to know what to do in terms of my job search there.  I am an 07 NYLS graduate.  Passed the NY bar and registered for the FL bar.

I am looking for work down there but you obviously know nothing is happening on that end.  I am thinking of temping.

Does anyone here know of temp agencies there and if so, how soon do they get positions?

For example in NYC, some agencies can consistently get positions within weeks.  What about in Miami?

Also, any other information and suggestion will be appreciated.

Thanks.



Reply 12-04-2007 04:12 PM
NicholasQ

Member Since : 07-19-2009
Total Post : 1
I am unsure of how old the OP was but Cole Scott starts at $85k/year now in Miami. Unsure as to what the other offices start at.

Reply 07-19-2009 09:30 PM
 
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