Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
I would say people are not quite so aggressive at the moment with their salary demands. These are always trailing. It will catch up. I think there will be some salary hikes at the end of the year.
— Robert Kinney, founder of Kinney Recruiting, in comments given to the American Lawyer, on the associate hiring market, and how it may affect compensation. He went on to say that while there is “plenty of slack in the market right now,” partner profits were quite strong in 2024, and that associate salary increases generally go hand in hand with that. Kinney’s comments follow those of NALP executive director Nikia Gray, who said that due to the market softening, “there is less pressure on firms to increase salaries in order to remain competitive.”
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
