2025 Associate Salary Survey

January 2025


Since 1995, NALP has been surveying firms to collect information about the salaries of associates, producing our biennial Associate Salary Survey report. This trusted source provides important benchmarking data such as associate salaries by years of experience for specific cities, states, regions, and firm sizes; salary information for levels-based compensation; the prevalence and sizes of bonuses for prior judicial clerks; and salaries for staff attorneys, law clerks, and summer associates.

Your participation will contribute to a comprehensive report that reflects current industry practices and participants will receive a complimentary special report with five tables of national data as a thank you for participating.

A PDF version of the survey is available here to assist in compiling your data, however all survey information must be submitted via this online survey.


Submit your pre-order form to the NALP office to receive the discounted price.

Special Offer for Survey Participants

Survey participants receive access to exclusive discounted pricing on the 2025 Associate Salary Survey report. To receive the special pricing — a savings of at least $45 off the regular price — submit your pre-order form to the NALP office after completing the survey. All pre-orders must be submitted by the survey deadline of February 14 to receive the discount. You have the option of purchasing either a hard copy/PDF or PDF-only version of the publication. A limited number of printed hard copy reports will be available this year on a first-come, first-served basis.


Law School Resources

If you work at a law school, NALP can you use your assistance in disseminating this survey to your law firm contacts, particularly at firms with 100 or fewer lawyers. This sample email message (MS Word) can be used to communicate with employers, but please feel free to customize the language.

As a thank you for your assistance in distributing the survey, NALP will offer the same law firm participant pre-order report pricing to law schools that refer any non-NALP member firms that complete the survey. Firms will have the ability to indicate the referral within the survey and NALP staff will be in touch with a pre-order form if your law school is listed by a firm.


Frequently Asked Questions

Will my information remain confidential?

Absolutely! No information that identifies specific firms is published and all analyses are based on a minimum of five participating firms or offices. We ask that you provide your name and firm name on the survey so that NALP can screen for duplicate submissions and follow up if there are questions regarding the information submitted. This helps to ensure the integrity of the report.

I only want to participate if my city is in the report. Can you guarantee my city will be included?

That depends — on you! Information for your city can be reported only if at least five firms from your city completed the survey. If you participate in the survey and encourage colleagues in your city to complete the survey too, you can help put your city in the report.

Our firm is a small firm with only a few associates. Should I still complete the survey?

Yes! Even if you firm does not have an established salary structure or does not employ associates in every category, you can complete as much of the salary information as is applicable to your firm. Your participation will allow NALP to provide more comprehensive benchmarking of salaries in small firms.

Does providing this information violate antitrust laws?

General anticompetitive concerns regarding information exchanges have been carefully addressed in the design of this survey. Although the Sherman Act forbids agreement between two or more entities that would result in restraint of trade, both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the courts have recognized that the need of competitors to have benchmark information is legitimate. NALP undertakes every precaution to ensure that this survey and the resulting report are lawful under the Sherman Act.

I’m not interested in purchasing the report. What do I receive simply for participating?

Participants receive a free National Summary Report, with five national data tables. To receive this report (provided as a PDF through a special link), simply provide your name and email address in your completed survey by Friday, February 14.

How much does the report cost?

The PDF report is available to participants at a special discounted price of $150 (a savings of $45 or more), hundreds less than the going rate for such information from other sources. The cost is slightly higher if you would also like a hard copy version of the report. To order your report, fill out the pre-order form above and return it to the NALP office by Friday, February 14 after completing your web-based survey. You must order the report by this date to receive the special discounted price.

I work at a law school and use the report data to counsel students and recent graduates. How can I assist in ensuring a comprehensive report?

You can help to ensure a comprehensive report by disseminating this survey to your law firm contacts, particularly at firms with 100 or fewer lawyers. The sample email message posted on this page above under “Law School Resources” can be used to communicate with employers, but feel free to customize the language. As a thank you for your assistance in distributing the survey, NALP will offer the same law firm participant pre-order report pricing to law schools that refer any non-NALP member firms that complete the survey.

Have additional questions?

Contact NALP’s research team at research@nalp.org if you have any additional questions regarding the survey.

National Association for Law Placement, Inc.® (NALP®)
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