Pillsbury and Thelen up salaries to $135,000

San Francisco-based Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman and Thelen Reid & Priest are the latest firms to be swept into the West Coast wave of associate pay rises, with both matching the new benchmark of $135,000 (£77,000).

Pillsbury announced its hikes yesterday (16 Feb). They apply to associates in the firm’s California, Washington DC and Virginia offices.

The firm also increased pay for second-year associates $10,000 (£6,000), and base pay for third, fourth and fifth years by $5,000 (£3,000).

Previously, Pillsbury associates in the sixth, seventh and eighth years earned $195,000 (£112,000), plus profit share dependent on seniority.

Under the new structure, associates in these three classes will earn $200,000 (£115,000), $210,000 (£120,000) and $220,000 (£126,000) respectively.

Meanwhile, Thelen is announcing $10,000 raises for first and second years firmwide. Those in more senior classes will get a minimum $5,000 raise.

Smaller West Coast firms including Allen Matkins Leck Gamble & Mallory and Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro have made similar announcements in the past week.

The announcements are the latest in a wave of associate raises among West Coast players including Morrison & Foerster, O’Melveny & Myers and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.

The surge began in September last year, when associate salaries were raised at mid-sized LA firms Irell & Manella, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges and Munger Tolles & Olson.