McDermott Will & Schulte LLP set starting salaries for first-year associates at $235,000. This makes it the first Boston law firm to reach that pay level. Both now pay first-year associates $235,000, which Milbank was among the first to reach. Associate Salary Survey found the median first-year associate salary nationwide was $200,000 as of Jan. 1, 2025. The Boston Business Journal ranked the firm as the 32nd-largest law firm in Boston by attorney headcount, with 109 local employees.