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September 20, 2006
Negotiating with Small & Medium Firms
When one receives an offer for an associate position with any employer, the first consideration is salary. With small- and mid-size firms, it is important to keep in mind that salary is just one part of the overall picture, and there are many additional issues to inquire about – and possibly try to negotiate. Here are some of the considerations:
1. Benefits – health, dental, vision; life; disability (short- and long-term); retirement; domestic partner coverage
2. Professional development – annual attorney licensing; bar association memberships; CLEs (all of these are very expensive!)
3. Leave – vacation, sick, and maternity/paternity
4. Miscellaneous – parking, relocation, equipment (laptop, cell, etc.)
5. Bar review – bar review course, exam, and maybe even a stipend while you study
In addition, there are issues relating to salary to consider. Will you be earning a straight salary, or will you have a base salary plus a percentage of business or billables (the latter could be more beneficial to you, depending on a number of factors)? Bonus? When is salary reviewed, and will there at the very minimum be a cost-of-living increase?
Keep in mind that the above are all considerations, and before you try to negotiate you need to determine your priorities in the short-term and long-term. As in any negotiation, there is give and take, and it is unlikely that you will receive every benefit imaginable and you must be reasonable in your requests/demands. (Many students wonder if an offer can be rescinded if they try to negotiate more money or benefits. This is a risk, but we’ve only heard of it happening with our students a couple of times.)
If you have questions, please talk to a CSO counselor. We can help you assess what to ask for, and what is a reasonable salary for a particular type and size of employer in a given market.
Posted by smp20 at September 20, 2006 09:18 AM