<p>NALP has also just published their 2006 salary survey of associates in private law firms, which describes median salaries by years of experience and size of firm. Unfortunately, the press release that I've attached below does not go into much detail on regional differences, which can be quite significant.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nalp.org/press/details.php?id=62%5B/url%5D">http://www.nalp.org/press/details.php?id=62</a></p>
<p>Clearly, as you would expect, the bigger the firm that you work for, generally, the larger your salary will be. The press release does note that median salaries of first year lawyers (and presumably more senior lawyers as well) are significantly lower in the west and midwest, and medians in areas such as Cincinnati, Columbus, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Portland, OR and Tampa ranged from $82,500 to $95,000. In California, attorneys not practicing in L.A., San Francisco, San Diego or Sacramento had a first year median salary of only $80,000. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the report itself costs $50, but there is plenty of good and helpful information in the press release that you may find valuable.</p>