Quinn Emanuel Announces Pay Raises For Associates
This firm could've been a contender to beat the market for raises. Did it happen?
We’ve already heard from several West Coast firms in Salary Wars 2016 (e.g., Hueston Hennigan; Irell & Manella), and both of them have matched Cravath’s new salary scale. We, and many others, had been waiting with bated breath for the other shoe sandal to drop. After so many other firms had made their announcements, why hadn’t Quinn Emanuel announced what it intended to do with its associates’ salaries yet? Would the firm raise salaries to exceed the $180,000 base?
In an earlier poll, 27 percent of our readers thought that the West Coast litigation powerhouse would be the first to move on Biglaw base salary raises. With $4.4 million in profits per partner and low leverage, the firm seemed like it would be a very likely contender to lead the market on this front. Quinn Emanuel, however, did not see fit to do so, and according to new documents we’ve reviewed, it has not seen fit to exceed Cravath’s generous raises for associates. Quinn Emanuel has officially matched Cravath.
Associates were notified about their raises via an email from Richard Schirtzer, head of complex litigation at the firm. QE has announced raises for everyone up to seventh-year associates, and will “look[] at individual adjustments for more senior associates and others.” (Note that Cravath announced raises for the Class of 2008 as well, at $315,000. Perhaps if Quinn has associates who are that senior, they will receive the same amount.)
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Congratulations to everyone at Quinn Emanuel on their sweet new salaries! Now there will be plenty of people capable of breaking $100 bills for John Quinn!
Remember, we are covering this trend extensively, so please drop us a line — text (646-820-8477) or email (subject line: “[Firm Name] Matches Cravath”) — when you know of another firm making a compensation move. Please include the memo if available. You can take a photo of the memo and send it via text or email if you don’t want to forward the original PDF or Word file. All sources are kept strictly confidential.
(Flip to the next page for the full Quinn Emanuel pay raise memo, from Richard Schirtzer, head of complex litigation at the firm.)
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Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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