If you've spent any time around Big Law compensation, you've heard the term "Cravath scale." It refers to the industry-standard associate pay structure historically tied to 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 each year — Milbank has, at times, been the one to move first. But the label has stuck regardless of who technically moves first: when a firm "pays Cravath," it means that firm matches the prevailing market salary scale for associates, whoever originally set it.

When attorneys search for "Cravath-paying law firms in Miami," this is what they're actually looking for — firms that match this gold-standard structure, not necessarily firms with any direct relationship to Cravath itself.

Miami's legal market has changed a lot over the past few years. A wave of AmLaw 100 and AmLaw 200 firms has built out real, substantial Miami presences, and they're competing hard for lateral talent — which means Cravath-level compensation has become a real, present feature of this market, not just something associates read about happening in New York.

One note before the numbers: what follows reflects market-reported compensation and information confirmed through ongoing recruiter conversations at the time this was written. It's meant to give you a general, current picture — not a guarantee of what any specific firm is paying today or will pay going forward. Compensation moves, and firms don't always announce changes publicly.

The 2025–2026 Cravath Scale

Here's where the scale currently sits, class year by class year:

What About Firms That Don't Pay Cravath?

Not every strong firm in Miami follows lockstep Cravath compensation, and that's not necessarily a red flag. Plenty of highly regarded firms sit just below the scale and still offer genuinely competitive pay — typically starting first-years somewhere in the $180K–$200K range. The absence of "Cravath" in a firm's compensation story doesn't mean the opportunity isn't a strong one; it just means the comp conversation looks a little different.

Miami's Cravath-Paying Firms

Based on publicly reported data and what we're hearing directly from firms and candidates in the market as of 2026, here's who's currently paying Cravath scale with a presence in Miami:

• Kirkland & Ellis — AmLaw #1
• DLA Piper — AmLaw Top 5
• White & Case — AmLaw Top 10
• Sidley Austin — AmLaw Top 10
• Baker McKenzie — AmLaw Top 10
• Morgan Lewis — AmLaw Top 10
• Jones Day — AmLaw Top 15
• Hogan Lovells — AmLaw Top 15
• Quinn Emanuel — AmLaw Top 20
• Holland & Knight — AmLaw Top 50
• King & Spalding — AmLaw Top 50
• Morrison Foerster — AmLaw Top 50
• Winston & Strawn — AmLaw Top 50
• McDermott Will & Emery — AmLaw Top 50
• Cooley — AmLaw Top 50
• Weil Gotshal — AmLaw Top 50
• Hunton Andrews Kurth — AmLaw Top 100
• Mintz — AmLaw Top 100
• Pillsbury — AmLaw Top 100
• Boies Schiller Flexner — AmLaw Top 200

Firm names are listed for informational purposes only, based on publicly reported data and recruiter-confirmed data at the time of writing in 2026.

Exploring Cravath-Paying Opportunities in Miami

Interested in knowing which Cravath-paying firms are actively hiring, and where your background might be a strong fit? Lateral hiring at these firms is often opportunistic and rarely advertised. We track real hiring demand through ongoing market conversations — which means attorneys can explore these opportunities early and discreetly, without having their resume circulated broadly.

If that's useful to you, get in touch for a discreet, market-informed conversation.