Associates in Großkanzleien: Das Ende der Gleichheit?

In the last two years, many law firms have laid off associates, deferred start dates for hires and tinkered with base pay and bonus structures, including pay cuts and freezes, the redistribution of portions of base salaries as bonuses and the elimination of lock-step pay increases. Some firms have made more fundamental changes, like dividing associates into tiers. Some law graduates are hired for a partnership track, for instance, while others are brought in to specialize on more routine or low-level work. William Henderson, a law professor at Indiana University who studies the business of law firms, called Kaye Scholer’s program “a coherent strategy in the short term.” But he added that in the long term, it could be damaging to the morale of smart employees. “They won’t work toward building the franchise,” he said. “It’s like having a slow, low-le…