BigLaw's lockstep compensation is declining in order to keep and attract talent
Illustration by Sara Wadford/ABA Journal
In 1919, the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for an unheard of $100,000, a sum worth nearly $1.5 million today. Sports fans credit the deal for an ensuing New York dynasty of pennants and championships and for Boston’s World Series drought, known by some as the “curse of the Bambino.”
Lateral transfers are nothing new. Like the big leagues, BigLaw seeks to gain powerhouse rainmakers via outsize salary offers. The deals have the added value of draining rivals’ rosters to kneecap the competition.