MLA to Conduct Biennial Partner Compensation Survey

Hanover, MD – July 22, 2020 – As the legal industry continues to feel the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, global legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA) will launch its biennial survey on law firm partner compensation. Fielded in conjunction with legal market intelligence and research specialists Acritas Research, the survey covers 2019 compensation levels, establishing a baseline to evaluate the ongoing impacts of the pandemic on compensation in the legal industry.

In addition to the survey’s standard questions about hourly billing rates, total billable hours, and discounts, this year’s survey will also address the impacts the pandemic has had on partners’ 2019 compensation and their expectations as to whether their compensation might be affected in 2020. The data will be broken down by base compensation, draw, and anticipated bonus, as well as respondents’ location, practice area, gender, ethnicity, and other characteristics.

“Since its creation in 2010, the MLA Partner Compensation Survey has become the most comprehensive source of law firm partner compensation in the marketplace,” said Jeffrey Lowe, Global Practice Leader, Law Firm Practice and Managing Partner of MLA’s Washington, D.C. office. “Given the changes we’ve seen in the legal industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, these results will be particularly informative as we take stock of the pandemic’s long-term impact. We believe the 2020 survey results will likely serve as the high-water mark for the legal industry for years to come.”

The Partner Compensation Survey will be available to partners in the U.S. from July 28 – September 11, 2020. MLA will make a $1 donation to the Legal Aid Society for each person who completes the survey. Results of the Survey will be released in November 2020.