D.C. Boutique Wilkinson Stekloff Matches New Big Law Pay Scale
Wilkinson Stekloff LLP announced associate salaries matching new big law scales, effective July 2026.
Why it matters: This signals growing pressure on large law firms as elite boutiques keep pace or exceed market salary hikes. It shifts how top-tier litigators negotiate pay and choose firms.
- Milbank LLP raised associate salaries by $10,000-$20,000 effective July 1, 2026, with first-years at $235,000.
- McDermott Will & Schulte matched Milbank's new scale shortly after.
- Texas boutique Vartabedian Katz Hester Haynes matched these rates across class years.
- Wilkinson Stekloff LLP, a D.C. boutique known for early trial experience, also matches these top-tier salaries.
On June 2, 2026, Milbank LLP shocked the market by announcing significant associate salary hikes ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 across junior to senior levels, effective July 1, 2026. This move set a new pay benchmark for Big Law, with first-year associates now earning $235,000, ascending to $455,000 for eighth-year litigators, according to Above the Law.
Within days, McDermott Will & Schulte quickly matched Milbank's scale, signaling intensifying salary competition among large firms.
Not to be outdone, Texas-based boutique Vartabedian Katz Hester Haynes also announced it would match the new scale precisely, with first-year associates earning $235,000 and similar increments through senior classes, as detailed in Above the Law.
Washington, D.C.'s Wilkinson Stekloff LLP, an elite litigation boutique known for providing associates meaningful courtroom experience early on — a rarity in Big Law — has joined this trend by aligning its pay to match these increased market rates. Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson highlighted the firm's focus on trial skills development, noting how Big Law often limits such opportunities due to frequent role rotations, as explained to the D.C. Bar.
These moves indicate a strategic shift in compensation and associate development that could reshape recruitment and retention dynamics among top litigation firms nationwide.
By the numbers:
- $235,000 — new first-year associate base salary at Milbank LLP effective July 2026
- $455,000 — eighth-year associate salary after 2026 raise at Milbank and matched by boutiques
- June 2, 2026 — date Milbank announced salary increases