Author: TSA Press

As
law
firm
associate
salaries


continue
to
climb,
what’s
happening
on
the
in-house
side?
Are
corporate
counsel
seeing
any
increases
in
their
pay? 

Help
us
find
out
by
taking
our


2022
In-House
Compensation
Survey.

Each
year,
Above
the
Law
surveys
in-house
lawyers
about
their
compensation
to
help
current
corporate
counsel
benchmark
their
pay
and
provide
insights
to
other
attorneys
and
law
students
considering
an
in-house
career.
In
December,
we
released
the
results
of
our


2021
survey.

Now
it’s
time
to
update
our
data
again.
While
this
year’s
survey
remains
short
and
sweet,
we
have
incorporated
a
few
new
elements
to
enable
us
to
delve
more
deeply
into
the
results
and
provide
even
more
benchmarking
information.
How,
for
example,
might
in-house
pay
differ
by
industry
or
region,
by
practice
area
or
department
size?

So,
if
you’re
an
in-house
lawyer,
please
take
our


brief,
always
anonymous,
survey.
And
feel
free
to
share
the


survey

with
other
in-house
counsel.
The
more
responses
we
receive,
the
more
information
we’ll
have
to
share.

They
say
the
third
time’s
a
charm,
and
I’m
sure
folks
are
hoping
it
sticks
for
associate
compensation.

The
elite
California-based
firm
Hueston
Hennigan
is
making
its
third
round
of
associate
raises.
The
boutique
was
among
the
first

to
match
the
Milbank
scale
back
in
January.
Then
they
quickly
anted
up
the
money
to
match
the

Davis
Polk
scale
in
February.
Now
that
March
has
come
there
is,
yet
again,
another
raise
at
the
firm,
this
time
matching
the
Cravath
scale.

And
they
have
a
sense
of
humor
about
it
—
partner
Brian
Hennigan
noted
“it’s
déjà
vu
all
over
again”
as
he
announced
the
following
scale:

Class
of
2021:
$215,000

Class
of
2020:
$225,000

Class
of
2019:
$250,000

Class
of
2018:
$295,000

Class
of
2017:
$345,000

Class
of
2016:
$370,000

Class
of
2015:
$400,000

Class
of
2014+:
$415,000

As
a
tipster
at
the
firm
noted:

Associates
are
happy
but
not
surprised
–
we’ve
come
to
trust
that
the
partners
are
committed
to
staying
at
the
very
top
of
the
compensation
scale.

You
can
read
the

full
memo
on
the
next
page.

***
Wondering
if
the
grass
is
greener
on
the
in-house
side?
Click
here
for
a
look
inside
the
black
box
of
corporate
counsel
pay
in
our
2021
In-House
Compensation
Report.
***

Remember
everyone,
we
depend
on
your
tips
to
stay
on
top
of
important
bonus
updates,
so
when
your
firm
matches,
please
text
us
(646-820-8477)
or email
us (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Matches”).
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.

And
if
you’d
like
to
sign
up
for
ATL’s
Bonus
Alerts
(which
is
the
alert
list
we
also
use
for
salary
announcements),
please
scroll
down
and
enter
your
email
address
in
the
box
below
this
post.
If
you
previously
signed
up
for
the
bonus
alerts,
you
don’t
need
to
do
anything.
You’ll
receive
an
email
notification
within
minutes
of
each
bonus
announcement
that
we
publish.
Thanks
for
all
of
your
help!

---

Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of

The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email

her with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
(@Kathryn1).

---

---

*
Come
back
when
you’re
older,
spud:
Bill
to
make
tobacco
purchasing
age
21
passed
Idaho’s
Senate.
[Daily
News]

*
Not
enough
of
a
good
thing:
a
spike
in
need
for
legal
help
fighting
evictions
is
hurting
legal
services.
[The
Real
Deal]

*
New
Florida
law
makes
panhandling
a
fineable
offense.
No
clue
how
the
state
is
gonna
collect
on
that
ticket.
[FOX]

*
Mask
off:
mask
mandates
got
banned
in
Virginia
schools.
We’re
like
5
minutes
away
from
hand
sanitizer
being
contraband.
[WRIC]

*
Deep
rooted:
Idaho
wants
to
use
contract
to
make
sure
that
its
Med
students
actually
practice
there
once
they
earn
their
honorifics.
[Idaho
Capital
Sun]

Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s.
 He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
cannot
swim, a
published
author
on
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.

More
Firms
Pile
On
The
New
Cravath
Standard:

Debevoise,

Latham,

Paul
Weiss,

McDermott,

Quinn
Emanuel
are
all
on
the
new
scale.

A
Look
At
Summer
Associate
Recruiting:

It’s
good
news!

The
LSAT
Is
Still
King:

Of
law
school
admissions.

What’s
That
Sound?

Yup,
it’s
a
dog
whistle.

Not
A
Great
Look:

For
this
mega
firm.

The
Real
USFL
LLC
is
suing
Fox
Sports,
Inc.,
The
Spring
League,
LLC,
and
USFL
Enterprises,
LLC,
the
parties
behind
the
forthcoming
new
United
States
Football
League
(USFL),
which
is
set
to
start
in
April.
It
claims
that
the
new
USFL
franchise
supported
by
Fox
Sports
and
expected
to
air
on
the
network
is
an
“unabashed
counterfeit”
and
that
it
has
no
right
to
capitalize
on
the
goodwill
of
the
prior
USFL
league.

The
complaint,
filed
in
the
U.S.
District
Court
for
the
Central
District
of
California,
argues
that
hundreds
of
millions
of
dollars
were
invested
into
the
development
of
the
prior
USFL,
which
was
a
professional
football
league
that
organized
games
in
the
1980s
and
included
prominent
players
such
as
Jim
Kelley,
Reggie
White,
Doug
Flutie,
and
Steve
Young.
The
plaintiff
is
claiming
that
the
organizations
behind
the
new
iteration
of
the
USFL
are
infringing
on
its
intellectual
property
and
that
the
public
is
at
least

likely
to
be
confused
as
to
whether
the
old
USFL
is
in
any
way

associated
or
affiliated
with
the
new
USFL.

“[Fox]
has
taken
the
name
and
logo
of
the
original
league,
its
team
names,
and
team
logos
to
which
it
has
no
right,”
states
the
complaint.”
And,
to
make
matters
worse,
it
has
traded
on
the
false
narrative
that
Fox’s
League
and
USFL
teams
are
the
offspring
of
the
originals.
They
are
not.”

The
Real
USFL
is
described
as
a
holding
company
that
possesses
all
rights
and
interests
in
and
to
nearly
400
trademarks
for
the
USFL
name
and
logo,
as
well
as
the
names
and
logos
for
18
teams.
The
defendants
will
certainly
posit
that
the
plaintiff
abandoned
all
of
its
intellectual
property
and
has
not
conducted
business
in
quite
some
time,
and
thus
there
can
be
no
causes
of
action
for
trademark
infringement,
false
advertising,
unfair
competition,
and
the
like.
The
plaintiff’s
extensive
portfolio
of
trademark
registrations
documented
with
the
U.S.
Patent
and
Trademark
Office
has
been
dead
and
the
individual
registrations
canceled
for
roughly
30
years.

As
a
counter,
expect
the
plaintiff
to
try
to
hold
onto
its
claims
by
referencing
certain
media
licensing
arrangements
for
apparel,
books,
and
other
media
in
the
recent
past.
This
includes
a
licensing
agreement
with
American
Classics,
Inc.
to
produce
throwback
T-shirts
bearing
the
names
and
logos
of
the
USFL’s
original
teams
and
a
book
titled,
“The
United
States
Football
League,
1982-1986,”
published
in
2017
with
a
release
to
the
author
that
allowed
him
to
use
the
USFL
league
and
team
logo.

Ultimately,
it
seems
as
though
the
defendants
have
a
better
likelihood
of
success
on
the
merits,
and
it
is
possible
that
this
case
gets
kicked
out
on
a
motion
to
dismiss.

---

Darren Heitner
is
the
founder
of Heitner
Legal.
He
is
the
author
of How
to
Play
the
Game:
What
Every
Sports
Attorney
Needs
to
Know,
published
by
the
American
Bar
Association,
and
is
an
adjunct
professor
at
the
University
of
Florida
Levin
College
of
Law.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at heitner@gmail.com and
follow
him
on
Twitter
at @DarrenHeitner.

Ed.
Note:
Welcome
to
our
daily
feature

Trivia
Question
of
the
Day!

In
addition
to
being
an
entertainer,
politician,
and
now
a
war
hero,
Ukrainian
President
Volodymyr
Zelensky
graduated
with
a
law
degree
from
what
university?

Hint:
Though
licensed
to
practice
law,
after
graduation
he
pursued
a
career
in
entertainment.
He
then
cofounded
a
production
company
which
would
lead
to
his
starring
role
in
Servant
of
the
People
(the
television
show),
which
in
turn
begat
Servant
of
the
People
(the
political
party).

See
the
answer
on
the
next
page.

Nearly
six
years
ago,
I
wrote
an
article
in
the
Huffington
Post
about

how
I
used
my
law
degree
to
get
out
of
law.
It
became
one
of
my
most-read
articles
to
date,
as
I
transparently
discussed
my
feelings
about
practicing
law
(the
things
I
resented
versus
the
things
that
I
loved
about
it),
the
emotions
I
felt
about
staying
versus
leaving,
and
how
I
made
a
successful
exit.

One
thing
I
emphasized
in
the
article
was
the
notion
that
your
law
degree
is
invaluable
to
the
business
world
and
there
is
life
after
law.
Each
week,
I
receive
multiple
emails
from
readers
of
my
column
about
how
they
can
make
the
leap
while
leveraging
the
power
of
their
law
degree.

As
I’ve
written
in
numerous
publications,
my
Above
the
Law
column,
and
taught
across
CLE
courses,
you
can
find

happiness
within
and
outside
of
law.
A
law
degree
and
the
practice
of
law
equip
you
with
an
enormous
set
of
highly
coveted
and
transferable
skills,
including
research
and
writing,
public
speaking,
analyzing
and
thinking
creatively,
problem-solving,
and
strategically
negotiating.
Lawyers
are
trained
to
think
differently,
and
that
difference
is
looked
upon
favorably
across
the
outside
world.

In
the
beginning
years
of
my
business,
my
J.D.
and
12
years
of
experience
in
diverse
legal
environments
(including
Biglaw
and
in-house)
became
instant
credibility
when
I
walked
into
a
business
meeting
or
spoke
at
an
event.
Quite
often,
when
I
consulted
with
an
executive
or
high-level
professional
in
outside
industry
sectors
(healthcare,
tech,
finance,
etc.),
they
wanted
to
work
with
me
because
they
loved
the
fact
that
I
was
a
lawyer
(and
a
former
college
writing
professor).
They
saw
it
as
powerful
leverage,
something
we
all
have
—
and
as
I’ve
always
stressed,
it’s
just
about
how
you
market
it.

How
To
Leave
Law
With
Your
Plan
In
Mind

Before
I
dive
into
some
alternative
careers
for
lawyers,
know
that
this
is
not
an
exhaustive
list
(and
I
will
be
writing
a
follow-up
article
with
additional
alternative
careers
for
lawyers).
This
list
stems
from
examples
of
lawyer-clients
I’ve
personally
worked
with
on
their
career
portfolio
(resume,
LinkedIn,
bio,
and
coaching).
I’ve
delved
into
their
background,
understanding
their
full
career
trajectory,
their
growth,
their
challenges,
as
well
as
their
accolades
and
achievements.
These
lawyers
found
fulfillment
and
success
in
their
alternative
careers
while
still
leveraging
their
law
degrees.
Some
of
them
practiced
for
extensive
periods
or
opted
to
get
licensed
but
not
practice
at
all.

What
you’ll
gather
from
this
is
two-fold:
first,
you’ll
see
there
are
many
different
directions
you
can
go.
Second,
your
law
degree
does
not
limit
you,
but
rather
expands
career
and
business
opportunities
for
you.

It’s
easy
for
someone
to
say,
look
at
your
transferable
skills
and
just
match
your
resume
with
those
skills.
However,
you
must
first
figure
out
which
skills
are
your
best-selling
assets
and
how
to
market
them.
I
always
recommend
making
a
list
of
things
you’re
good
at,
highlighting
the
things
you
enjoy
doing
on
that
list,
and
comparing
that
highlighted
list
to
the
skills
needed
in
the
alternative
career.
Be
prepared
to
give
examples
of
how
and
why
you
shine
across
those
skills.

Next,
conduct
deep
research
into
the
alternative
legal
career
and
consider
it
from
all
angles
—
a
pros
and
cons
list,
salary
ranges,
financial
planning,
and
additional
training
and
education
needed.
Then,
seek
out

informational
interviews
from
people
who
left
law
and
are
successfully
immersed
in
those
alternative
careers
(speak
with
people
who
have
been
at
it
for
five-,
10-,
15-,
and
20-plus
years).
This
will
allow
you
to
see
the
different
steppingstones
of
that
alternative
career.
Before
you
make
your
grand
exit
from
law,
you
need
to
know
what
you’re
getting
yourself
into
and
if
this
is
truly
the
right
alternative
legal
career.

Alternative
Legal
Careers
For
Lawyers
To
Consider

• 
  
  Executive
  Management
  And
  Advisory

A
lawyer
on
the
executive
team
is
well-suited
for
blending
their
legal
acumen
with
their
business
acumen.
More
than
70%
of
my
clients
are
lawyers
with
a
long-standing
legal
career
and
upward
trajectory
into
management-level
legal
roles
(think:
executive
vice
president
and
assistant
general
counsel
or
managing
partner),
and
ultimately
left
to
be
a
COO
(chief
operating
officer),
CRO
(chief
risk
officer),
CSO
(chief
strategy
officer),
or
CEO
(chief
executive
officer)
and
lead
a
company.

Another
consideration
for
a
C-suite
role
is
a
chief
of
staff
role
or
an
executive
advisor
to
a
CEO.
While
a
chief
of
staff
is
not
a
common
role,
they
serve
as
direct
advisors
to
CEOs
and
handle
high-level
negotiations,
deal
negotiations,
investor
meetings,
and
other
strategic
planning
and
execution.
This
is
a
terrific
pivot
for
in-house
lawyers
who
are
already
on
the
executive
team.

Board
advisory
is
another
alternative
career
path
that
is
typically
seen
in
more
advanced
executives
and
as
an
end-of-career
exit
strategy. 

• 
  
  Sales
  And
  Marketing

I’ve
worked
with
numerous
high-level
marketers
(director-level
through
chief
marketing
officer)
who
hold
a
J.D.
(some
decided
to
take
the
bar
exam,
but
not
practice).
Marketing
executives
leverage
their
writing
acumen
and
creative
intuition
to
develop
powerful
message
strategy
for
clients
across
websites
and
other
digital-based
marketing
collateral.
If
you
have
a
passion
for
social
media
and
the
digital
advertising
world,
transitioning
to
a
marketing
role
can
be
ideal
for
you.
It
can
also
encompass
advertising,
communications,
and
public
relations
roles.
On
the
sales
side,
the
drive
to
build
client
relationships
and
grow
revenue
can
be
a
great
fit,
especially
if
you’ve
been
a
rainmaker
at
a
firm.
You
can
leverage
your
business
and
client
development,
billing,
and
revenue
generation
skill
sets. 

• 
  
  Employee
  Relations
  (HR
  Or
  Recruiting)

Lawyers
are
well-suited
to
move
into
employee
relations
work
and
leverage
their
knowledge
of
workforce
planning,
compliance,
labor
and
employment
laws,
related
statutory
knowledge,
as
well
as
conflict
resolution
skill
sets.
HR
leaders
are
the
partners
to
the
business
and
work
in
tandem
with
the
legal
department.
If
you’re
interested
in
moving
into
more
of
an
HR-focused
role,
consider
getting
certifications
from
organizations
such
as

SHRM
and

HRCI.
Both
of
those
organizations
have
a
wealth
of
learning,
training,
resources,
and
networking
opportunities.
You
can
also
explore
HR-focused
certificates
and
online
courses
to
boost
the
value
of
your
knowledge
and
your
resume.
Recruiting
is
another
option
for
lawyers
who
don’t
want
to
practice
but
want
to
stay
closely
connected
to
the
industry
and
profession.
If
you’re
interested
in
legal
recruiting,
reach
out
to
legal
recruiters
who
left
practicing
law
and
who
have
been
doing
recruiting
for
more
than
10
years.
They
will
have
deep
insights
into
the
transition
on
the
long-term
side.

• 
  
  Journalism,
  Writing,
  And
  Academia

Journalism
and
writing-focused
careers
are
highly
coveted
and
make
for
a
smooth
transition
for
lawyers
who
love
and
excel
at
the
research
and
writing
aspects
of
lawyering.
I
spent
seven
years
teaching
college
writing
classes
as
a
hobby
when
I
began
practicing
law.
It
was
also
a
fallback
option
for
me,
or
as
one
would
term,
my
“Plan
B”
if
law
didn’t
work
out.

When
I
initially
began
my
descent
into
my
writing
and
coaching
business,
my
goal
was
to
build
up
my
writing
portfolio
and
break
into
major
publications
and
content
writing
for
large
companies.
I
also
took
a
writing
course
online
with

NYU’s
School
of
Professional
Studies
as
part
of
my
avid
interest
in
blog
writing
and
commentary.
If
you’re
leaning
toward
a
leap
into
writing
or
journalism,
I
highly
recommend
taking
additional
courses
to
expand
your
writing
horizons
and
skill
sets.
Legal
writing
is
a
great
foundation,
but
journalism,
editing,
and
professional
writing
for
digital
publications
require
a
different
style
of
writing.
Academia
is
also
another
option
for
lawyers
opting
to
get
out,
especially
if
you
love
teaching
and
research.

• 
  
  Coaching 

I
saved
coaching
for
last
in
this
initial
list
of
alternative
legal
careers
because
it’s
a
popular
transition
for
many
unhappy
lawyers
these
days.
Online
coaching
businesses
are
the
new
fad
in
the
digital
age,
but
also
highly
competitive
because
there’s
an
overabundance
of
them.
Coaching
is
an
unregulated
industry,
and
thus,
makes
it
easy
for
anyone
to
use
the
label
and
create
a
business.

Want
to
build
a
successful
coaching
practice?
Get
certified
and
trained
in
coaching
modalities,
methodologies,
and
strategies
first.
Immerse
yourself
in
the
work
you’ll
be
doing.
Attend
ongoing
training
and
professional
development
with
coaching
associations
and
career
organizations.
Think
about
your
target
audience
and
focus
on
a
niche.
Connect
your
own
career
trajectory
to
your
coaching
audience.
There
are
various
directions
you
can
go
with
coaching
(business,
life,
career)
as
well
as
coaching
systems
and
services.
Explore
them
all
and
learn
what
works
for
you.

There
are
multiple
other
alternative
legal
careers
I
want
to
delve
into,
so
stay
tuned
for
my
follow-up
article.
If
you
have
questions
about
alternative
careers
for
lawyers,
or
you’re
struggling
with
making
the
leap,
please
do
connect
with
me
on

LinkedIn,
and
I
will
be
glad
to
provide
you
with
additional
resources.

---

Wendi
Weiner
is
an attorney,
career
expert,
and
founder
of The
Writing
Guru,
an
award-winning
executive
resume
writing
services
company.
Wendi creates
powerful
career
and
personal
brands
for
attorneys,
executives,
and
C-suite/Board
leaders
for
their
job
search
and
digital
footprint. She
also
writes
for
major
publications
about
alternative
careers
for
lawyers, personal
branding,
LinkedIn
storytelling,
career
strategy,
and
the
job
search
process. You
can
reach
her
by
email
at wendi@writingguru.net,
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn,
and
follow
her
on
Twitter @thewritingguru.  

Last
week
news
broke
that
two
outside
attorneys
working
on
the
New
York
District
Attorney’s
investigation
into
Donald
Trump
had

abruptly
resigned.
DA
Alvin
Bragg’s
spox
insisted
that
query
continued
apace,
rebutting
reports
that
her
boss
had
largely
ignored
the
high
profile
case
since
the
departure
of
his
predecessor
Cyrus
Vance,
Jr.

The
Daily
Beast
has
managed
to
shake
loose
some
details
on
the
resignations
of
attorneys
Carey
Dunne
and
Mark
Pomerantz,
and
they
appear
to
confirm
earlier
reporting.

“It
turns
out
that,
not
only
did
Dunne
and
Pomerantz
write
resignation
letters,
they
wrote
so
extensively
about
the
slow-moving
probe
that
the
DA’s
office
would
not
turn
over
copies
of
their
letters,”
writes
investigative
reporter
Jose
Pagliery.

Apparently
the Beast
tried
to
get
copies
of
the
letters
under
New
York’s
Freedom
of
Information
Law,
but
were
blocked
because,
when
Carey
and
Dunne
noped
out,
they
wrote
down

exactly
how
they
thought
the
DA
was
botching
the
grand
jury
investigation
they’d
painstakingly
assembled.

“The
criminal
matter
both
individuals
were
assigned
remains
pending;
as
such,
the
public
release
of
the
letters
which
reflect
internal
deliberations
and
opinions
about
an
on
going
investigation
will
likely
interfere
with
that
investigation,”
the
law
enforcement
agency
responded
on
Friday.
“Further,
the
documents
reference
matters
attending
a
grand
jury
proceeding,
which
is
exempt
from
disclosure.”

Move
along,
kids,
nothing
to
see
here.

And
while
Pomerantz
and
Dunne
aren’t
talking,
the Beast
notes
that
they
left
in
such
a
hurry
that
they
didn’t
even
send
good
bye
emails
to
their
staffs.
Which
is
yet
another
sign
that
something
went
totally
sideways
here.

Good
thing
that
office
never
leaks,
right?

Top
Trump
Prosecutors
Cited
Stalled
Investigation
in
Resignation
Letters
[Daily
Beast]

---

Elizabeth
Dye
lives
in
Baltimore
where
she
writes
about
law
and
politics.

Last
month,
I
shared
that
the
Metaverse
can
be
viewed
as
a
natural
progression
in
the
interaction
between
humans
and
computers
—
but
for
many,
the
Metaverse
is
still
a
foreign
concept
and
a
bit
out
there.
This
month,
I
want
to
share
a
few
thoughts
on
what
we
can
expect
as
the
Metaverse
evolves
—
and
what
its
evolution
could
mean
for
the
practice
of
law
in
the
real
world.

As
the
Metaverse
expands,
we
can
anticipate
a
number
of
innovations,
and
we
can
expect
consumer-oriented
applications
to
get
traction
first.
Take
entertainment
and
live
events,
for
example.

For
those
of
us
who
saw
the
NFL
Super
Bowl
a
couple
of
weeks
ago:
imagine
watching
the
game
on
Oculus
headgear
and
being
able
to
view
it
(virtually)
from
different
locations
in
the
stands
and
on
the
field.
Players
equipped
with
motion
sensors,
microphones,
and
a
helmet
camera
could
be
enough
to
render
a
virtual
world
with
lifelike
avatars
simulating
the
actual
game
in
the
Metaverse.
With
enough
computing
power
in
a
few
years,
the
simulated
game
could
be
rendered
and
synchronized
to
the
live
stream
of
the
event.

It’s
hard
to
say
now
whether
there
would
be
such
demand;
but
as
technology
advances,
the
economics
will
become
more
favorable,
and
some
innovative
souls
will
find
virtual
experiences
that
people
will
buy.

We
could
see
more
business
applications
emerge
as
well.
Telemedicine
might
be
an
example.
Could
an
MRI
be
analyzed
in
real
time
by
a
doctor
in
another
state? 
Would
someone
trust
a
specialist
in
a
particular
type
of
cancer
to
perform
laser
surgery
from
thousands
of
miles
away?
 There
is
already
precedence
for

remote
surgery,
so
the
possibilities
may
not
be
that
far
off.

Overall,
what
we
can
expect
to
see
is
the
Metaverse’s
increasing
ability
to
enable
virtual
transactions
and
experiences
that
we
had
not
previously
thought
possible
—
and
the
world
of
legal
technology
may
be
no
exception.

Let’s
examine
where
the
practice
of
law
is
today.
The
legal
industry
has
made
many
strides
and
there
is
a
frenzy
of
legal
tech
investment
right
now.
Much
of
that
investment
is
directed
at
law
departments
in
corporations
where
technology
is
embraced
and
where
automation
and
repeatability
are
expected.
That
makes
sense,
as
work
that
can
be
automated
tends
to
move
in-house
now.

That
leaves
law
firms
with
high-value
work
that
someone
would
expect
from
an
expert
professional.
At
the
same
time,
however,
that
creates
a
strategic
problem
for
law
firms,
as
much
of
that
high-value
work
is
bespoke,
driven
by
unique
thoughts,
manual
work,
and
more-artisan
approaches.
In
short,
law
firm
work
can
be
very
valuable
and
very
inefficient
at
the
same
time,
and
that
poses
a
problem
when
thinking
about
how
technology
can
accelerate
the
practice
of
law
in
firms.
So
how
might
the
Metaverse
help
to
solve
that
problem?

One
possible
answer
could
lie
in
the
Metaverse
and
the
ability
of
online
platforms
to
automate
and
implement
technology
to
enable
a
more
sophisticated
level
of
work
that
lawyers
could
delegate
to
software.

In
the
tax
industry,
there
are
already
some
examples
of
efficiencies
created
by
integrating
specialized
industry
knowledge
with
technology.
Intuit’s
TurboTax
service
has
set
a
high
bar
of
excellence
for
interviewing
and
taking
in
“client”
information
and
marrying
it
with
tax
law
to
create
an
income
tax
return.
More
complicated
income
tax
returns
can
still
be
reviewed
by
a
tax
professional,
but
automated
processes
enable
a
significant
amount
of
work
to
be
completed.
In
the
future,
I
would
hope
that
we
would
see
many
legal
applications
marry
client
intake
and
fact
patterns
with
logic
that
encodes
the
law
to
create
more
automated
solutions
for
legal
advice,
much
like
TurboTax
does
for
income
tax
returns.

But
here’s
the
challenge:
a
law
firm
building
a
system
for
its
client
and
its
attorneys
will
not
scale
in
the
same
way
a
software
company
could
in
order
to
build
a
system
that
can
serve
the
entire
industry.
If
the
software
company
has
embedded
logic
that
is
interpreting
the
law,
then
the
software
might
technically
be
practicing
law
—
and
that
is
not
allowed.

In
the
near
term,
law
firms
can
take
steps
to
standardize
client
intake
and
the
steps
in
transactional
work.
They
can
and
should
leverage
knowledge
management
systems
to
find
and
leverage
prior
work,
and
they
should
leverage
legal
research
systems
and
innovations
(like
brief
analyzers,
for
example)
to
make
the
development
of
legal
arguments
more
efficient.

In
the
Metaverse,
many
rules
that
will
govern
interaction
will
be
defined
by
terms
and
conditions
in
the
contract
signed
to
participate
on
a
Metaverse
platform.
Arbitration
clauses
may
keep
disputes
in
an
alternate
universe
of
arbitration
and
out
of
courts.
The
Metaverse
could
also
enable
automation
and
implementation
of
smart
contracts
and
other
similar
applications
—
and
that
could
create
real
opportunities
(or
competitive
pressure)
to
introduce
similar
concepts
in
the
real
world
to
drive
standardization
and
efficiency.

Law
firms
are
enjoying
high
demand
for
services
and
premium
rates
right
now. 
But
in
the
long
term,
there
are
some
strategic
issues
that
law
firms
as
an
industry
will
need
to
work
through
if
they
want
to
embrace
more
technology
and
take
steps
to
delegate
more
work.

We’ll
tackle
that
strategic
issue
in
Part
Three!

---

Ken
Crutchfield
is
Vice
President
and
General
Manager
of
Legal
Markets
at
Wolters
Kluwer
Legal
&
Regulatory
U.S.,
a
leading
provider
of
information,
business
intelligence,
regulatory
and
legal
workflow
solutions.
Ken
has
more
than
three
decades
of
experience
as
a
leader
in
information
and
software
solutions
across
industries.
He
can
be
reached
at ken.crutchfield@wolterskluwer.com.

Kirkland
&
Ellis
has
consistently
brought
in
the
top
revenue
numbers
in
all
of
Biglaw.
Given
that
—
and
particularly
against
a
backdrop
of
a
white-hot
lateral
market
—
the
firm
was
almost
assuredly
going
to
match
the
top
compensation
numbers
recently

announced
by
Cravath.

Sure,
they’d
already

announced
raises
less
than
a
week
ago,
but
when
there’s
a
new
compensation
grid
making
the
rounds,
well,
you
have
to
pony
up
the
cash
to
keep
associates
happy.

So,
here
is
the
new
associate
compensation
grid
at
Kirkland:

As
you
can
see
from
the
chart,
associates
are
getting
a
full
match
of
the
Cravath
scale,
retroactive
to
January
1.
And
while
the
firm
maintains
its
commitment
to
paying
top
of
the
market
for
its
non-share
partners,
tipsters
are
annoyed
at
the
retroactive
date
for
the
NSPs:

However,
if
you
are
a
non-share
partner,
they
send
a
separate memo
and
only
back
pay
to
February
1
(not
January
1),
effectively
shorting
you
over
$4,000
for
the
month
of
January.
Would
love
to
see
that
accurately
reported,
so
they
have
some
accountability
for
shorting
the
NSPs.

You
can
read
the

full
memo
on
the
next
page.

***
Wondering
if
the
grass
is
greener
on
the
in-house
side?
Click
here
for
a
look
inside
the
black
box
of
corporate
counsel
pay
in
our
2021
In-House
Compensation
Report.
***

Remember
everyone,
we
depend
on
your
tips
to
stay
on
top
of
important
bonus
updates,
so
when
your
firm
matches,
please
text
us
(646-820-8477)
or email
us (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Matches”).
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.

And
if
you’d
like
to
sign
up
for
ATL’s
Bonus
Alerts
(which
is
the
alert
list
we
also
use
for
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announcements),
please
scroll
down
and
enter
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in
the
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If
you
previously
signed
up
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alerts,
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You’ll
receive
an
email
notification
within
minutes
of
each
bonus
announcement
that
we
publish.
Thanks
for
all
of
your
help!

---

Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of

The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email

her with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
(@Kathryn1).

---

---