The Cravath Scale (2026): Salaries & Bonuses by Class Year
What the scale pays every class year, what “pays Cravath” really means, and how close the firms that don’t pay it come.
The Cravath scale is the standard BigLaw associate pay scale by class year. For 2025–2026, first-year associates earn a $225,000 base salary, rising to $435,000 for eighth-years, plus year-end bonuses from $20,000 to $115,000.
The 2025–2026 Cravath scale
| Class year | Base | Bonus | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year | $225,000 | $20,000 | $245,000 |
| 2nd year | $235,000 | $30,000 | $265,000 |
| 3rd year | $260,000 | $57,500 | $317,500 |
| 4th year | $310,000 | $75,000 | $385,000 |
| 5th year | $365,000 | $90,000 | $455,000 |
| 6th year | $390,000 | $105,000 | $495,000 |
| 7th year | $420,000 | $115,000 | $535,000 |
| 8th year | $435,000 | $115,000 | $550,000 |
These figures reflect market-reported compensation and information confirmed through ongoing recruiter conversations at the time of writing. They're a general, current picture, not a guarantee of what any specific firm pays today or will pay going forward. Compensation moves, and firms don't always announce changes publicly.
What “pays Cravath” means
The scale is named for Cravath, Swaine & Moore, the firm most associated with setting the market's pay benchmarks by class year.
Interestingly, Cravath isn't always the first firm to announce a new number. Milbank has, at times, moved first. But the label stuck: when a firm “pays Cravath,” it matches the prevailing market salary scale for associates, whoever set it.
Some firms pay the scale in every U.S. office, and some use different pay structures for different offices. Ask before you assume.
Firms that don't pay Cravath
Not every BigLaw firm follows lockstep Cravath pay, and that's not necessarily a red flag. Plenty of highly regarded Am Law firms typically pay within $10,000 to $50,000 of the scale, and bonuses usually don't make up the difference.
Black box firms don't publish a pay scale. States with pay transparency laws, including New York, California, Washington, D.C., Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts and Maryland, require salary ranges in job postings. But those ranges are wide, and experience decides where you land in them.
Knowing where you'd actually fall takes inside knowledge of what a firm is really offering. That's where a recruiter who sees actual offers is most useful.
The Cravath scale in Miami
Miami's legal market has changed a lot over the past few years. A wave of Am Law 100 and 200 firms has built real Miami offices, and many of them compete for laterals at Cravath pay. It's no longer something associates only read about happening in New York.
At least 20 firms with Miami offices pay the scale. See the full list: Cravath-paying law firms in Miami.
Common questions
What is the Cravath scale?
The Cravath scale is the standard pay scale for BigLaw associates by class year, historically tied to Cravath, Swaine & Moore. When a firm "pays Cravath," it matches that market scale for associates.
What is the Cravath scale for 2026?
Under the 2025-2026 Cravath scale, first-year associates earn a $225,000 base salary and eighth-years earn $435,000. Year-end bonuses run from $20,000 for first-years to $115,000 for seventh- and eighth-years.
How much do first-year associates make at Cravath-scale firms?
$225,000 in base salary plus a $20,000 bonus, or $245,000 in total.
How much do senior associates make on the Cravath scale?
Sixth-years earn $390,000 base plus a $105,000 bonus. Seventh-years earn $420,000 plus $115,000, and eighth-years earn $435,000 plus $115,000, or $550,000 in total.
Do all BigLaw firms pay the Cravath scale?
No. Many highly regarded Am Law firms don't follow lockstep Cravath pay. They typically pay within $10,000 to $50,000 of the scale, and bonuses usually don't make up the difference. Some firms also use different pay structures for different offices.
Which firms pay Cravath in Miami?
At least 20 firms with Miami offices pay on the Cravath scale, based on publicly reported and recruiter-confirmed data in 2026. See the full list of Cravath-paying law firms in Miami.
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