Unlocking Your Earning Potential: A Deep Dive into Lewis Brisbois Salaries
For attorneys and legal professionals mapping out their career paths, compensation is a critical factor. Landing a position at a major national law firm like Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP (LBBS) represents a significant career achievement, promising challenging work and a substantial income. But what does that salary actually look like?
Navigating the complexities of law firm compensation can be challenging. Salaries aren't a single number but a dynamic range influenced by a host of factors. This article provides a data-driven analysis of salaries at Lewis Brisbois, with typical earnings for an associate attorney ranging from approximately $135,000 to over $215,000, and even higher for partners and senior counsel. We will break down the key variables that determine your earning potential at one of the nation's largest law firms.
What is Lewis Brisbois and What Do Its Attorneys Do?
Before diving into the numbers, it's essential to understand the firm itself. Lewis Brisbois is an Am Law 100 firm, consistently ranked as one of the largest law firms in the United States by headcount. It operates as a full-service national firm with offices in dozens of cities across the country.
While the firm handles a wide array of legal matters, it is particularly well-known for its robust litigation practice, especially in areas such as:
- Insurance Defense
- General Liability
- Labor & Employment
- Professional Liability
- Healthcare and Medical Malpractice
Attorneys at Lewis Brisbois manage complex cases, engage in discovery and depositions, draft motions, and frequently appear in court. The firm's vast footprint means that its lawyers gain experience on a national scale while serving a diverse client base ranging from individuals and small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.
Average Lewis Brisbois Salary
Unlike some elite "BigLaw" firms that adhere to a rigid, lockstep salary scale across all major markets, Lewis Brisbois employs a more varied and market-dependent compensation structure. This means there isn't one single salary for every first-year associate.
Based on an aggregation of self-reported data and industry analysis, here is a general overview of typical salaries at the firm:
- Associate Attorney: The most common role for which data is available. According to data from Glassdoor, the estimated total pay for an Associate at Lewis Brisbois is approximately $176,000 per year, with a likely range between $139,000 and $228,000. This range reflects the significant impact of experience and location. Entry-level associates will be at the lower end, while senior associates with 6+ years of experience will be at the higher end.
- Partner: Partner compensation is highly variable and includes base salary, bonuses, and a share of the firm's profits (for equity partners). While less public, data from Salary.com suggests that a Law Firm Partner's salary can range from $200,000 to well over $450,000, with a firm of Lewis Brisbois's size falling squarely within this spectrum.
- Paralegal: For legal support professionals, Payscale reports that the average salary for a Paralegal at Lewis Brisbois is around $68,000 per year, with a typical range of $50,000 to $85,000 depending on experience and specialization.
Key Factors That Influence Salary
Your specific salary at Lewis Brisbois will be determined by a combination of crucial factors. Understanding these will help you negotiate effectively and set realistic expectations.
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Years of Experience (Class Year)
This is the single most significant factor in determining an associate's base salary. Law firms operate on a "class year" system, where your compensation increases with seniority. A first-year associate (fresh out of law school) will have a starting salary, which then increases annually. A fifth-year associate will have a substantially higher base salary than a second-year associate, reflecting their increased expertise, efficiency, and ability to handle more complex matters independently.
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Geographic Location
Lewis Brisbois is a national firm, and it adjusts its salaries to reflect the cost of living and market competitiveness in different cities. This is a key differentiator from firms on the "Cravath Scale," which often pay the same high salary in all major markets. For Lewis Brisbois, an associate's salary will be highest in major legal hubs with a high cost of living.
- Top-Tier Markets (e.g., Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco): Expect starting salaries at the highest end of the firm's scale, potentially in the $185,000 - $215,000 range to compete for talent.
- Major Markets (e.g., Chicago, Dallas, Miami): Salaries will be very competitive but may be slightly below the top-tier markets.
- Smaller/Regional Markets (e.g., Wichita, Albuquerque, Providence): Compensation will be adjusted downward to align with the local legal market and cost of living, likely starting in the $135,000 - $150,000 range.
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Company Type (Market Position)
It's important to understand where Lewis Brisbois sits in the legal ecosystem. As an Am Law 100 firm, it is firmly in "BigLaw." However, its salary structure is more closely aligned with other large national firms rather than the most elite, New York-centric firms. This means while the salary is excellent and highly competitive, it may not match the top-of-the-market lockstep salary (which was $225,000 for first-year associates at many elite firms in 2024). In exchange, firms like Lewis Brisbois often offer a different value proposition, such as more reasonable billable hour targets or a potentially faster path to partnership.
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Area of Specialization
While base salaries are primarily driven by class year and location, certain high-demand practice areas can influence bonuses and overall earning potential. Attorneys specializing in niche, complex, and highly profitable fields like cybersecurity, intellectual property litigation, or complex financial services may have higher earning potential over time compared to more commoditized practice areas.
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Level of Education
A Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree is the baseline requirement. While the prestige of your law school can be a significant factor in securing an initial interview and offer, its direct impact on salary *within the firm* diminishes over time. Once you are hired, your performance, experience, and value to the firm become the primary drivers of compensation growth.
Job Outlook
The legal profession continues to offer a stable and promising career path. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for lawyers is projected to grow 8 percent from 2022 to 2032, which is faster than the average for all occupations. The BLS projects about 39,100 openings for lawyers each year, on average, over the decade.
For a large, diversified national firm like Lewis Brisbois, this outlook is highly encouraging. The firm's presence across dozens of practice areas and geographic markets positions it to remain resilient and capitalize on demand for legal services across various sectors of the economy.
Conclusion
A career at Lewis Brisbois offers a clear path to a six-figure salary and significant professional growth. While salaries are not at the absolute peak of the "BigLaw" market, they are highly competitive and provide an excellent return on the investment of a legal education.
For prospective attorneys considering the firm, the key takeaways are:
- Expect a Strong Salary: Associate earnings typically range from $135,000 to $215,000+, with significant growth potential.
- Location Matters Most: Your salary will be heavily influenced by the office's city and the prevailing local market rates.
- Experience is King: Your class year is the primary driver of your base compensation as you advance.
Ultimately, Lewis Brisbois represents a fantastic platform for building a successful and financially rewarding legal career, combining the resources of a national powerhouse with a more flexible and market-sensitive approach to compensation.