<p>Not to keep beating a dead horse (there have been so many threads about this already), but did you see the article in the 2012 edition of US News and World Report on starting salaries for lawyers? $160K is not realistic anymore. I do wonder whether the figure is based on salary though, or salary + bonus. I conceed it’s possible that an annual bonus might lift the number to $160K at some firms.</p>
<p>If our Fort 500 was hiring (which it isn’t), the starting salary would be closer to $60-$75K depending on whether the position was in corporate headquarters or a subsidiary. We are not in NYC/Boston/Chicago etc. though, where both cost of living and salaries are higher. We have no shortage of applicants, including applicants from T14 schools and applicants who have been laid off from biglaw firms.</p>