More detailed information about the policies, and some scuttlebutt about how part-timers are treated at the firms, can be found by clicking on the names of the firms in the table. The recent increase in associate salaries means that everyone has to work more hours to make ends meet .
Some firms interpret the new law firm economics in a different way.
With the new salaries, firms lose money on new associates for the first three to four years. The problem is that, according to data from a National Association of Law Placement Foundation study, roughly 40 percent of associates will have left by their third year. The new associate salaries may increase the pressure for more billable hours, but they are making firms think much more seriously about reducing attrition. The question is how reduced-hours policies will be factored into this equation. That means that a firm loses a million dollars every time five associates walk out the door.