Associate attorney recruiters for firms of 5 to 200 attorneys

What the role means at a US firm

An associate attorney is a salaried attorney who is not yet a partner. Firms usually describe associates by class year, meaning the year the attorney graduated from law school or was admitted, as in "the 2021 class." Bound groups associates into three bands for search purposes:

• Early-career: roughly one to three years of experience.
• Mid-level: roughly four to six years.
• Senior: seven years and above, covered on the senior associate page.

The bands are a starting point. Firms define them differently, and an attorney's practice area often matters more than the number.

What mid-sized firms screen for

A firm of 5 to 200 attorneys usually screens associates for different things than a large firm does. Large firms commonly lean on law school rank, journal membership, and the prestige of prior employers. A mid-sized firm more often wants to know:

• Practice fit. Direct experience in the practice area, so the associate can start working with less training.
• Range. Experience handling a matter, or part of one, with real responsibility, rather than a narrow task in a large team.
• Client contact. Comfort speaking to clients and dealing with opposing counsel.
• Stability. A work history that suggests the associate will stay long enough to be worth the investment.
• Interest in the firm's work. Firms of this size notice when a candidate wants the firm and not just a move.

Bar admission and reciprocity

Bar admission determines where an associate can practice. An attorney admitted in one state who wants to work in another may be able to waive in through reciprocity or admission on motion, take the other state's bar exam, or work in a limited capacity while an application is pending. The rules differ a great deal by state, including the number of years of practice required and the way those years are counted.

Bound asks every associate which states they are admitted in and where they want to work, and says early what to check with the state bar. A firm should know before an interview whether a candidate is admitted in its state and, if not, what the plan is. Bound does not give legal advice on admission.

Compensation

Associate compensation at a mid-sized firm is set by the firm and depends on the market, the practice area, and the associate's class year. It is often described against the Cravath scale, the compensation level set by the largest firms in New York and followed by others. Most firms of 5 to 200 attorneys do not follow it. They set their own scale, with local market rates in mind.

Associates comparing offers should look at base salary, the billable requirement, bonus terms, and how bonuses are decided. A higher base with a higher billable requirement is not always a better offer. This page quotes no figures. Bound goes through current compensation for your market and practice area on the intake call.

The market at this level

Candidates at this level often have more than one conversation running, so speed matters. A firm that leaves long gaps between interviews risks losing the candidate to a firm that does not.

How Bound runs a search at this level

The intake call covers the practice area, class year band, the billable expectation, the supervision the associate will get, and the bar admissions that matter. Bound identifies associates in your market whose practice matches and approaches them on your behalf. The list stays with Bound. You see the attorneys who are interested.

Introductions are by practice area, so a litigation associate is not sent to a trusts and estates firm. Bound coordinates interviews and keeps the process moving.

Bound works on contingency at every level. The fee is 25% of the candidate's base salary, payable within 14 days of the candidate's start date, with a free replacement within 90 days. There is no retainer and no upfront cost.

Related practice areas

Bound runs associate attorney searches in these practice areas. Introductions are always matched to the practice.

• Corporate and M&A
• Commercial Litigation
• Labor and Employment
• Real Estate
• Trusts and Estates
• Insurance Defense
• Intellectual Property
• Healthcare
• Bankruptcy and Restructuring
• Tax
• Family Law
• Immigration

Other roles Bound recruits

• Lateral Partner
• Practice Group and Team Moves
• Of Counsel
• Senior Associate
• Paralegals and Legal Professionals

Who runs the search

Jim Knott, Bound's founder, runs every search himself, from the first call to the signed offer. There is no rotating team and no handoff. You can read his background before you call.

If you are an attorney or legal professional at this level, register confidentially. Your resume goes to a firm only after you approve that specific firm.