Major law firms across the United States are locked in an escalating battle for top legal talent, driving up associate salaries at a rapid pace across the industry.
Milbank set the pace for the latest round of pay increases, introducing a new salary scale that has prompted widespread responses from rival firms eager to retain and attract the best lawyers.
McDermott Will & Emery was among the first firms to respond, moving quickly to match Milbank’s new pay structure, which included raises in the range of $10,000 to $20,000 for associates.
The speed of that initial match signalled to the rest of the market that a broader wave of salary adjustments was already underway across the Biglaw landscape.
Katten Muchin Rosenman followed suit shortly after, matching the Milbank scale in a move that underlined just how competitive the market for legal talent has become in 2026.
Each firm that matches the new scale puts additional pressure on those that have not yet acted, creating a cascading effect that typically sweeps through the industry within weeks.
The pattern is familiar to those who have watched previous salary wars unfold, but the pace and scale of the current round suggest the competition for associates has intensified considerably.
Law firm leaders have long understood that compensation is one of the most powerful tools available when competing for graduates from elite law schools and lateral hires from rival practices.
Losing a cohort of talented associates to a competitor offering a higher base salary can have lasting consequences for a firm’s practice groups and client relationships alike.
The raises being offered in the current cycle represent a significant addition to law firm cost bases at a time when clients are already scrutinising their legal spend with growing intensity.
Firms must therefore balance the need to remain competitive on pay against the challenge of maintaining profitability and justifying rate increases to demanding corporate clients.
The Biglaw talent war shows no sign of cooling, with further matches and potentially new salary benchmarks widely expected as more firms announce their positions in the coming weeks.