November 9, 2026 On June 2, 2026, Milbank announced the 2026 salary scale effective July 1, 2026, setting the new BigLaw base salary benchmark at $235,000 for first-year associates and $455,000 for eighth-year associates. The market still commonly calls the salary scale the Cravath scale, although Milbank now sets the current 2026 salaries for BigLaw associates. The Cravath scale still follows the BigLaw 2025 salary scale, starting associates at $225,000 to $420,000 in base p

Attorneys are hesitant to make a lateral move because of additional competition from Weil attorneys entering the market.

DLA Piper and Winston Taylor have announced that they will match Milbank's associate salary scale, with first-year associate salaries starting at $235,000 and senior associate salaries reaching $455,000.

In 2026, law firm hiring has seen a rise in commercial litigation, AI and intellectual property, private credit and direct lending, data privacy and cybersecurity, corporate/M&A and private equity, labor and employment, bankruptcy and restructuring, and specialized real estate and infrastructure work. There are also newer, more specialized areas worth watching. AI and IP compliance is emerging as a distinct niche, data centers and infrastructure are creating work across sever