Thanks
to
Biglaw’s
bountiful
compensation,
the
legal
profession
has
long
been
known
for
its
flashy
salaries,
but
even
with
their
generous
paychecks,
some
associates
are
living much larger
than
others
—
and
it’s
all
because
of
where
they
live.
The
National
Jurist
recently
decided
to
dig
into
the
data
to
determine
which
cities,
when
adjusted
for
cost
of
living,
“strike
the
right
balance
between
compensation
and
affordability”
for
law
school
graduates.
Here’s
their
methodology:
To
identify
the
top
cities
for
law
firm
jobs,
we
used
mean
salary
data
from
the
National
Association
for
Law
Placement’s
Class
of
2023
report
and
adjusted
it
for
cost-of-living
differences
across
the
country.
So,
which
cities
are
the
best
for
law
firm
associates
based
on
this
calculation?
Where
can
they
get
the
best
combination
of
high
compensation
with
a
low
cost
of
living?
Without
further
ado,
these
are
the
10
cities
where
associates
can
stretch
their
salaries
the
furthest
(adjusted
salaries
noted):
-
Houston,
TX:
$291,436 -
Austin,
TX:
$265,151 -
Dallas,
TX:
$260,436 -
Washington,
DC:
$259,341 -
Chicago,
IL:
$243,116 -
Los
Angeles,
CA:
$241,341 -
Minneapolis,
MN:
$231,640 -
Charlotte,
NC:
$229,400 -
Boston,
MA:
$225,990 -
Salt
Lake
City,
UT:
$225,330
Click here to
see
the
rest
of
the
list.
And
what
about
the
worst
cities
for
associates
in
terms
of
making
their
money
work
for
them?
Here’s
more
from
the
National
Jurist:
The
best
cities
for
new
grads
aren’t
always
the
flashiest
—
they’re
places
where
salaries
stretch
further,
debt
becomes
more
manageable,
and
young
lawyers
can
build
careers
without
sacrificing
lifestyle.
It
may
be
time
for
lawyers
to
say
sayonara
to
big
East
and
West
Coast
cities
and
move
to
Texas
to
truly
enjoy
their
salaries.
Biggest
salaries,
recalculated
[National
Jurist]
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
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
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with
her
on LinkedIn.