Negotiating Salary: Strategy, Evaluating the Offer, and Asking for More

BEGIN WITH A WINNING STRATEGY

Collaborative Approach
When negotiating salary, a collaborative approach is most often the appropriate tack to take. While you may be tempted to adopt a more adversarial approach, it is important to remember that this negotiation is the beginning of what will hopefully be a long and productive union.

A collaborative approach is characterized by working together toward a win-win solution, one in which both parties walk away feeling they have gotten a fair deal. It's not just the end agreement that results in both sides feeling they have won, it's also the tactics you use to get there.

Be wary of overblown advice. "Don't tell them your current salary. It's not about your past. It's about how much the work in this position is worth." Statements like this are just plain wrong. It's not only wrong. It's so far off base it can turn an interview that was going well into one that totally destroys your chances of getting hired.

It is standard for an employer or recruiter to ask what you are making in your current position and you should be prepared to discuss it openly when they ask. Failing to answer directly only makes you appear evasive.

If you feel you are currently being underpaid, explain why and back your belief with facts. Be prepared to discuss whether or not you have asked for a raise, why or why not, and any response you received to such a request.

Open Exchange

One of the keys to win-win negotiating is the open exchange of information. This may include discussing your salary research in detail, especially if you find there seems to be a major discrepancy between your expectations and theirs.

For example, if you find that relocation expenses are not included and are not negotiable, don't just assume they are cheap. Discuss with them the fact that your research indicates that other similar companies (preferably their competitors) cover relocation for employees at this level. If they want more information, be specific, include the name of the company, title of the equivalent position and type and amount of relocation expenses covered. It may simply be they were not aware, or there may be another explanation.

Be open to listening to their explanation. They may make up for not covering relocation by offering bigger signing bonuses, for example. It's fairly common for smaller companies to not invest the personnel and expense necessary to calculate moving expenses, negotiate with moving companies and deal with real estate or corporate housing rentals. In such a situation, you can calculate your estimated expenses and negotiate the appropriate signing bonus to ensure your expenses are covered.

Your Comfort Zone

Establish a comfort zone for yourself. Know the bottom number you are willing to accept and the top number. These numbers should be based on the market value for the position you are being offered, your past pay and performance and the future for advancement in the position offered. Any offer you accept should be within your comfort zone.

If you are presented with an initial offer far below your comfort zone, think seriously about whether or not to invest your time negotiating with this company. An inappropriately low offer can indicate some serious problems that may be difficult to correct.

For example, the company may be out of touch with the market. If this is the case, it is likely that it would not only be difficult to negotiate a fair salary initially, but also difficult to negotiate raises in the future.

An inappropriately low offer can also indicate you are overqualified for the position, a situation which, if you accepted, could result not only in you being underpaid, but also low job satisfaction and an overall slowing of your career progression.

Unfortunately, an inappropriately low offer can also mean that an inexperienced hiring manager is simply trying to get the best deal he can, no holds barred. While this may seem excusable at first glance, it should make you think twice about his management style.

If you are presented with an initial offer far above your comfort zone, be cautious about accepting. While it may seem like a dream come true, it may be an important red flag.

Step back and consider other motivating factors.

Is the company extending the offer trying to hinder a competing company by hiring you away? They may be paying more for the opportunity to hurt their competitor than for your skills, a fact that won't be helpful when it's time for a raise.

Are they engaged in a bidding war for your services? This most often comes into play with counter offers from an employer you are leaving. You should almost never accept an offer that comes in response to your decision to leave. If salary is the main motivator for leaving, you should have addressed it and ask for a raise before deciding to leave. If they were unwilling to give you the raise before you had a competing offer, what has changed? Did your skills suddenly improve overnight? Unlikely. The difference is that now they are forced to either give you the raise or have you walk out the door while they have no replacement. The sad fact is that even if you accept their offer, they can simply keep you on board until they hire someone to replace you (for less money) and then fire you.

Know when to walk away

In order to have leverage in salary negotiations, you must be willing to walk away. If you can't reach an agreement that is within your comfort zone despite your proposed solutions and theirs, you should walk away from the negotiating table and feel good about it. Know that it was not a personal slight against you or them, simply a business negotiation in which you could not reach an agreement. In the end your interests just did not match closely enough.


EVALUATING THE OFFER


Evaluating the Total Package

Compensation is more than just salary. The more your career advances the more complicated compensation negotiation becomes, as it includes more and more negotiable parts, such as profit sharing, stock options, and executive perks. At some point, it may be wise for you to enlist the help of a professional in negotiating compensation. If you are not yet at that point, you should act as your own compensation analyst.

Even jobs that appear to have relatively few components in the pay package can have a suboptimal component that results in pay not adding up as well as you initially thought. Health insurance is a prime example. A difference in health insurance can easily make a $5,000 to $10,000 difference in your effective compensation. When evaluating insurance, remember it is not only the premium you pay, but also the deductible and expenses covered that should be considered.

To be sure you are considering the big picture, you can use a spreadsheet like the one shown here on CareerJournal.com, the Wall Street Journal's Executive Career Site. You can use this or a similar spreadsheet as a dynamic tool to compare your current position, an offered position and your comfort zone.

(For more information on finding your comfort zone, see last week's article Researching Salary: How and Where to Look.)


TALKING THE TALK


Brokering the Deal

Take your time in evaluating any offer extended, remember you are brokering a deal that will impact every step in your career from here forward, so asking for a couple of days to evaluate at least the initial offer is standard.

Once you have used your spreadsheet to compare your current position, the offered position and your comfort zone, you should have some idea of adjustments you would like to make to the offer. Make some notes to use during your conversation and schedule a time to talk with the person extending the offer. Be sure to have your notes and spreadsheet available each time you talk. If the person calls you unexpectedly and you do not have your notes available, let him or her know you are not able to talk at the moment and ask if you can call them back.

Asking for More

When you do talk with them remember that good negotiation is good conversation. Statements and inquiries should be constructed to invite a favorable response and keep both parties involved. Begin your conversations by repeating your interest in the opportunity, and make use of questions and open-ended statements to keep discussions going.

For example, let's say they offer $140,000 base and you won't be happy with less than $150,000. (This assumes your research backs you up and you haven't already told them that you would accept something in the $140,000 range during the interview process.)

Instead of responding with, "I can't take 140." and ending the conversation there, try, "Considering the market, I was really hoping for 155." Then wait for a response. The most likely response is, "Let me see what I can do, and I'll get back to you."

Another possible response is "That's the best we can do on salary, but we may be able to make some adjustments elsewhere." Still you keep the conversation going and have opened the door to compromise.

A flat "That's the best we can do." is unlikely but possible. If you've responded as suggested above, you haven't turned down the $140,000 on the table and you can move on to negotiating other pieces of the deal such as annual bonus, deferred compensation, and signing bonus where you have the opportunity to make up for the $10,000 additional you had hoped to see in base salary.

Solving for the Solution

Be open to solutions. As well as presenting your own alternatives, be open to hearing theirs. If the negotiation is going well, proposed solutions should be flowing back and forth.

Remember that a potential employer hopes you will join the team as an asset. Show your worth up front by suggesting solutions. For example, offer to forgo the signing bonus for more base pay (Although you may not be able to get a one for one trade for this because base salary is a recurring expense, where a signing bonus is a one-time expense.)

View the situation form the hiring manager's shoes. If the manager has a budget for her division, your compensation likely comes out of that budget. Although there may not be money there for relocation, there may be money available for travel, allowing you to negotiate use of a hotel or corporate housing for a few months. Suggest some alternatives, repeat your interest in the position and continue to work together.

SEALING THE DEAL

Before finalizing the deal and giving notice at your old job, get the deal in writing and make sure the agreement is clear. Make sure all the details are included and unambiguous. Be especially cognizant of items such as bonus eligibility, amounts, and pay out dates and when you are first eligible for a performance review and raise. These can make a significant difference in your pay.

Whether or not you accept the position, maintain positive communication throughout and even after the negotiation. Consistently reinforce what you like about the company and your interest in it even if you do not accept their offer. There may be another opportunity in the future that may be a better match, or someone you have met during the process may recommend you for another position with a different company.

Researching Salary: How and Where to Look

Ever wonder if you're making what you're worth? Well, if you're wondering, you probably aren't making what your worth. One of the most important things I learned as a recruiter was that salaries vary greatly for practically identical positions based not only on skill but also on knowledge of the market and ability to negotiate.

Knowledge is power. It can make a huge difference. I once interviewed two gentlemen employed in nearly identical positions at equivalent organizations. Much to my surprise, one was making approximately $50,000 a year less!

He must have been less qualified, you might think. Perhaps his educational background wasn't as impressive or his work experience was less extensive. Sadly, no. The only significant difference between these two candidates I was interviewing for the same position was that one knew his worth and knew how to negotiate and the other did not.

The man making less wasn't aware he was being underpaid and didn't know how to ask for what he was worth. In order to ask for what you are worth, you must first know your worth.

The advent of the Internet has made salary information much more accessible. Where companies formerly shielded salaries as a closely guarded secret, smart companies today are more open in salary negotiations, faced with better informed prospective employees. Negotiating is another part of the interview process. Someone who is well-informed and negotiates to a win-win solution adds value to her worth before even beginning the new position.

Researching the salary range for your position is much like familiarizing yourself with an area by looking at a map. You can begin by using salary sites like Salary.com, SalaryExpert.com and PayScale.com. These will give you a bird's eye view, but not the detailed information you will need to skillfully negotiate your way to your destination. Using these sites alone for your salary research would be like trying to find your way around Los Angeles using a map of the United States of America. For a better view, using more than one source and more than one type of source, will help ensure your research is balanced and accurate.

Very detailed information, including salaries for certain titles at named companies in certain cities, is available from Vault.com, a leader in the area of targeted salary research. Although you have to pay to see these reports, the information is worth the small fee, if you are considering working for a large firm or corporation. If you are considering a position with a small firm in a small town, the information is not as relevant. To balance your view, turn to industry organizations and sites such as NALP.org, Law.com, and FindLaw's Infirmation.com.

Once you have done your initial research online, reality check what you have found by talking with a professional counterpart you trust in your geographic market. If you don't yet know anyone you feel you can ask, you can use a message board such as the one found on GreedyAssociates.com.

While salary information is more readily available for large firms, you can get a reliable look at compensation at medium to small firms in your area by relying more heavily on the last part of the process described above. Regardless of the size of your market, staying connected with colleagues is great way to not only enjoy the camaraderie of people with similar interests, but also continue to learn about your market. Having a friend with whom you can discuss important professional decisions can put you far ahead in evaluating whether a position offers the right opportunity for you.

When considering the information you find, keep in mind the many factors that impact salary, including but not limited to: 1) your salary in your current and previous positions; 2) geographic location; 3) cost of living; 4) size of firm; 5) areas of law in which the firm practices; 6) locations of the firm's other offices, if any; 7) prestige/name recognition of the firm; 8) hiring history; and 9) salary in relation to billable and non-billable hour requirements.

Be sure to continue your research until you reach a firm conclusion on the minimum and maximum compensation amounts you consider fair. Consider this your "comfort zone." Once you have identified your comfort zone, stick to it.

If you receive an offer significantly outside of your comfort zone, in either direction, be very cautious about going to work with the extending firm. While reaching a compensation agreement most often includes some amount of negotiation, an offer either unreasonably low or high can be an early indicator of serious problems right from the beginning. More to come on how to address this situation in next week's follow up article, "Negotiating Compensation."

Special Feature -- Coming this Weekend, Researching Salary

Ever wonder if you're making what you're worth? Well, if you're wondering, you probably aren't making what your worth. One of the most surprising things I learned as a recruiter was that salary varies greatly for practically identical positions based not only on skill but also on knowledge of the market and ability to negotiate. In this brief article, I will help you focus on the first of those two factors, knowledge of the market. In the follow up article, I will help you hone your negotiation skills.

Crash May Be Boom for Attorneys

Subprime Crash May Be a Boon to Attorneys
from Law.com
Lynne Marek
The National Law Journal
April 25, 2007

Dykema Gossett attorney Richard Gottlieb traveled last month to the lonely offices of an Irvine, Calif.-based subprime lender. A floor of the building that Gottlieb said buzzed with 150 analysts last year was now empty except for the conference room where he sat for a deposition with a client and other lawyers.

There are likely to be many attorneys wandering the desolate halls of cash-strapped subprime lenders in coming months . . .

Gonzales Staying on the Job, Help or Hindrance

Gonzales says he is staying on. Will his refusal to go haunt Republicans in the 2008 elections?

Gonzales says he's staying on the job
from Yahoo! News
By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer
13 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Bolstered by a fresh show of support from President Bush, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sought Monday to move beyond calls for his resignation and lingering questions about his credibility after the firings of federal prosecutors . . .

Partnership Track or Public Defender: A Day in the Life

If you think you might like to make Partner, take a moment to review Vault's "A Day in the Life: Corporate Law Partner" which tracks a typical day from "40 minutes on StairMaster with The Wall Street Journal and Walkman" at 6:30 a.m. to "Arrive home. Check e-mail. Send responses to e-mail messages." at 10:45 p.m. More samplings of real days in attorneys' lives are available at Vault's Day in the Life, including days from an Assistant District Attorney, an Employment Litigator, a Plaintiffs' Lawyer, and a Public Defender, just to name a few. These brief vignettes provide excellent insight into the work life of different types of lawyers.

Judge Finds Motorolla Owes $23 Million Based on Alleged Poor Conduct During Trial

Associated Press
Lawyers to Get $23M From Motorola
By ADRIAN SAINZ 04.19.07, 5:58 PM ET
from Forbes.com

A judge Thursday ordered Motorola Inc. to pay $22.9 million in attorneys fees and costs to lawyers for a now-defunct technology company, months after a trade secrets lawsuit ended in a hung jury . . .

Gonzales Draws More Fire

Gonzales, Fighting for His Job, Fails to Convince Republicans
from Bloomberg.com
By Robert Schmidt and James Rowley

April 20 (Bloomberg) -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, fighting to keep his job, failed to convince skeptical Republicans that he gave a full and accurate account of the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.

In more than six hours of testimony yesterday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Gonzales encountered almost as much criticism from members of his own party as from Democrats . . .

Not Just Idol Chatter

Attorney wins a key "American Idol" contest
from Reuters.com
Thu Apr 19, 2007 10:10PM EDT
By Eriq Gardner

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter, ESQ.) - It was a brutal audition. Before a panel of judges, Howard Siegel took center stage for a key performance during the second season of "American Idol."

But this contest wasn't shown on television, and the singers in the room sat in quiet examination, listening to Siegel's explanation of what a respected entertainment lawyer could do about their contract situation . . .

Tracking Lawyers' Impact in the Race for '08

It takes vision. It takes courage. It takes a great campaign plan, but most of all, it takes money. Money is the lifeblood of successful presidential campaigns, and lawyers are proving to be valuable donors.

Lawyers top donors to 2008 White House hopefuls
from Reuters.com
Wed Apr 18, 2007 6:19PM EDT
By Jeremy Pelofsky

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawyers were the biggest contributors to Democratic and Republican U.S. presidential candidates during the first quarter, donating at least $14.6 million, the Center for Responsive Politics said on Wednesday . . .

Keep track of running totals of contributions to candidates from lawyers and law firms by clicking here to view the tally at www.opensecrets.org.

How to Get Recruited, Becoming a Passive Candidate

Companies love to recruit "passive candidates," people who are not actively looking for a job, but are open to hearing about the right opportunity. Often they are people already doing the same job at a similar or competing company.

So how, you might ask, does one become a "passive candidate"? Is it really possible to look for a job without looking? Absolutely.

First, consider joining a professional networking site such as LinkedIn. LinkedIn offers a managed professional setting online in which you can make new connections through trusted contacts. Users may include a brief bio or resume in their profile and indicate what sort of contact they are open to receiving, such as business deals, reference requests, getting back in touch, career opportunities, consulting offers, job inquiries, or expertise requests.

Next, submit your CV to reputable search firms and be willing to act as a source of information to help them find candidates for positions that are not a match for you. If a recruiter calls to seek your insight, your response can speak volumes. Search firms such as Heidrick & Struggles, Spencer Stuart, and Korn Ferry have a well-established process and can be expected to call upon you only when appropriate. As you build a relationship with them, they will better understand your expertise and interests.

Become a resource for others in the area in which you specialize. If you are an intellectual property attorney, don't just belong to the bar association, belong to the intellectual property law section, even better serve on a committee.

Whether through the bar association, with your firm, or on your own, develop and present continuing education classes. Be sure to maintain lists of attendees and include reliable contact information in your course materials.

Finally, stay informed about not only your field of speciality, but also its top firms and players, improving your position as a respected resource and enabling you to better evaluate offers presented to you.

Jury Consultants in the Spotlight

With the murder trial of music producer Phil Specter under way and the jury selection process known as voir dire at center stage, expensive jury consultants find themselves in the spotlight.

Literally translated voir dire means "to speak the truth." Is it fair to use consultants to assist in the selection process, and if so what should be the extent of their involvement?

Lawyers will use high-priced consultants for Spector trial jury selection
from Los Angeles Times latimes.com
By Peter Y. Hong, Times Staff Writer
1:19 PM PDT, April 16, 2007

The murder trial of Phil Spector began in earnest today as potential jurors crowded into the courtroom for questioning by lawyers.

Judge Larry Paul Fidler spent about a half-hour directing potential jurors on proper courtroom behavior and reassured them that if they are selected, their faces will not be broadcast during the televised trial. By the time he finished, it was time for the noon lunch break.

Trial by a jury of one's peers is a fundamental American right. But when the defendant is a millionaire music legend accused of murder, picking those "peers" becomes a high-stakes battle of wits and means . . .

Partnership Track: Making Rain

One of the keys to opening the partnership door is rainmaking. Business brought to the firm is one of the most obvious indicators of an individual contributor's impact on the bottom line.

Unfortunately, there are not many classes on rainmaking in law school. While not everyone has a natural knack for selling their services, it is a skill that can be learned. RainToday.com provides a handy online resource with online articles, complimentary white papers, and complimentary podcasts.

For example, "6 Lead Generation Insights for 2007" (available for free download) provides an excellent primer on business development. It is a 21 page executive summary of the more complete What's Working in Lead Generation described as "a benchmark report on how to spend your time, energy, & money for the best ROI in B2B professional services." The excerpt below gives you a glimpse of what you can expect to find inside.

Caveat: Provide value in your marketing

Lead nurturing is not calling your targets every 2 weeks to ask them if they are ready to buy your services yet.

Lead nurturing is your opportunity to demonstrate the value you can provide and position yourself as a resource. Send 1-to-1 communications using the phone, email, and mail that include a value based offer such as an article that addresses your prospect’s challenge, an invitation to a networking event, seminar, or webinar that might be of interest to them (even better if you are the one speaking at the event), a white paper, etc.

Tracking the Trial Bar's Impact in '08

In the presidential primary, the impact of the trial bar may be significant, to say the least. Consider that almost two thirds of John Edwards $7.4 million 2003 first-quarter contributions came from trial lawyers, their families and staffs.

Obama Makes Inroads Into Edwards' Trial Lawyer Base
from LAW.COM
Anna Palmer
Legal Times
April 9, 2007

This time around, John Edwards can't take anything for granted. This time, even his blood brothers aren't necessarily on board.

For years Edwards has relied on the support of his fellow trial lawyers' deep pockets to help get him elected -- first to the Senate and then three years ago, when he made a run at the White House and then became running mate to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who won the Democratic nomination. But as Edwards mounts his second presidential bid, he has struggled to attract plaintiffs lawyers beyond his stable of longtime donors, just as other Democratic candidates, such as Sens. Hillary Clinton from New York, Barack Obama from Illinois, and Joseph Biden Jr. from Delaware, have been actively wooing the plaintiffs bar . . .

DirectWomen Institute Designed to Help Female Attorneys Hone Skills for Serving on Boards

Another step closer to shattering the glass ceiling:

Female Lawyers Set Sights on Yet One More Goal: A Seat on a Board
from The New York Times online
By ELLEN ROSEN
Published: April 6, 2007

Barbara Paul Robinson has been the first at many things.

The first female partner at Debevoise & Plimpton; the first female president of New York City’s bar association; and now, among the first to participate in a new program geared toward training female lawyers to become directors of public companies. Now, she would like to serve on a board.

Companies “want problem solvers who operate within the rules and within the appropriate framework,” she said. “No one wants naysayers — helping you get to yes is the hard work, and that’s what good lawyers do.”

But board seats have eluded lawyers in general, and women in particular . . .

On Writing Your Own Resume

In the competitive legal career market, you might be looking for an edge, but be cautious about using professional resume writers.

Remember that your resume is the reflection of you on paper. A resume written largely by someone else will not give insight as accurate as one written by you. Your resume reveals not only your experience, but also your perspective and style. Employers hope to be able to use it as one of many evaluative tools for gauging what you personally, not a paid writer, can bring to their company.

Your resume, more than possibly any other document, is one with which you are expected to be intimately familiar. Difficulty explaining something on your resume in an interview could lead to disaster.

Moreover, attorneys are expected to have excellent writing skills. Your resume is another opportunity to showcase those writing skills. There are many resources available to help refine your resume writing skills without much investment of time or effort.

Unfortunately, many resume writing services, including those specializing in attorney resumes, do not offer an appropriate level of expertise. If you do decide to use a resume writing service, consider the background of the person who will actually be writing your resume, not just the person who sells you the service.

The exception to the rules above comes when you approach the level of partner or executive. At that level, it is often advisable to enlist the help of a professional career coach or executive search consultant in developing not just a resume, but a presentation and approach that is tailored to your interests and sets forth the highlights of your career.

Real World FBI Investigates Virtual World

Will people do time for virtual crime?

FBI checks gambling in Second Life virtual world
from Reuters.com
Wed Apr 4, 2007
8:20PM EDT

By Adam Pasick

NEW YORK (Reuters) - FBI investigators have visited Second Life's Internet casinos at the invitation of the virtual world's creator Linden Lab, but the U.S. government has not decided on the legality of virtual gambling . . .

Goodling in the Spotlight Again

How pivotal is what Goodling knows?

As the Justice Department's former White House Liaison and senior counsel to Attorney General Gonzales, Monica Goodling was involved in ongoing meetings about the dismissals for months. She was one of five senior Justice Department Aides in a November 27 meeting with Gonzales in which he approved a detailed plan for the dismissals even though he claims he was only minimally aware of plans to remove the prosecutors.

Perhaps just as importantly, as a participant in an April 6, 2006, phone call between the Justice Department and Senator Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), she may have first hand knowledge regarding the nature and extent of the Senator's urging that then U.S. Attorney David Iglesias focus more on a corruption probe against Democrats leading up to the 2006 elections.

Dems seek to interview Gonzales aide
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer
Tue Apr 3, 8:24 PM ET
from Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON - House Democrats on Tuesday asked a top Justice Department aide to come to Capitol Hill for a private interview in the next week on the firing of federal prosecutors, arguing that she cannot simply refuse to testify on the matter.

Monica Goodling, who has said she would assert her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid appearing at Senate hearings, must tell Congress which specific questions she's refusing to answer, Democrats said in a letter to her lawyer. . .

Option Backdating and Directors' Legal Risks

An excellent read for short and sweet analysis of directors' legal risks:

Reducing Directors’ Legal Risk
from Harvard Business Review (online version)
April 2007

by Michael Klausner

The recent spate of shareholder lawsuits over option backdating has outside directors reflecting, once again, about their own liability risk. How vulnerable are they if, despite their honest oversight efforts, management breaks the law? The good news is that unless outside directors engage in self-dealing (which seems to have happened in some backdating cases), they are at far lower risk than most would imagine, and they can take steps to reduce their exposure even further . . .

Easily Explore U.S. News and World Report Law School Rankings Online

U.S. News and World Report's "Complete Guide to Law Schools" page offers free online access to rankings, cost and admissions information. Their "Web Extras" include summaries of whose graduates have the most debt, what are the priciest and cheapest private law schools, what are the priciest and cheapest public law schools, and more. All in all, it is a handy quick reference for students and recruiters.

The Latest Information in the Inquiry into the Firing of U.S. Attorneys

This week Kyle Sampson, former Department of Justice Chief of Staff, dropped a political bombshell when he flatly rebutted U.S. Attorney General Gonzales' statement that he was not directly involved in decision making regarding the plan to fire U.S. Attorneys. The flames of the ensuing political firestorm are being fanned by documentation available from Department of Justice and White House emails (some of which are available for review online) showing not only the factual inaccuracy of Gonzales' statements, but also a surprisingly cavalier attitude toward the dismissals and their impact.

Easy access to breaking information in the investigation of the firing of U.S. Attorneys can be found at the following sites:

Attorney Firing Investigation page on C-SPAN.org with video of Sampson's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, documents selected for public release by the Department of Justice, and video of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' press Conference.

Full Coverage: U.S. Attorney Firings from Yahoo! News, featuring links to news stories, editorials, video, audio, and related websites

Full audio files for NPR's continuing coverage at NPR.org

For a view from outside the United States, read the latest on the "U.S. Prosecutors Row" as reported by the BBC.

Associate Salaries Continue to Climb

In its bid to attract the best and brightest of the Class of 2006, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, a California-based litigation firm, set off a bidding war that immediately impacted first year salaries and is now prompting raises for senior associates as well.

For New Lawyers, the Going Rate Has Gone Up
From The New York Times
By ELLEN ROSEN
Published: September 1, 2006

Should you have any doubt that peer pressure generated through the Internet impacts salaries, just read through the very lively discussion still ongoing at Above the Law.

Take for example, the most recent firm to leave the "Hall of Shame":
Skaddenfreude: Seyfarth Shaw Leaves the List of Shame
From Above the Law, A Legal Tabloid
Posted In: Biglaw , Money , Seyfarth Shaw , Skaddenfreude
By David Lat | 03.28.07 at 03:58 PM

Vault Guide to Underrated Law Schools Provides Recruiters' Insight

For the Vault Guide to Underrated Law Schools, Vault surveyed legal recruiting professionals, law firm hiring partners and corporate counsel across the United States, seeking their opinions on law schools deserving more credit for the caliber of legal professionals they produce.

Recruiter comments provide helpful insight into reasons for selecting schools:

"With our recruiting experience from these schools [Baylor Law School and Dedman School of Law], we have found that the candidates are of the same or similar caliber as the top schools from which we recruit."

"Although not considered a 'top' law school by many, in our experience Fordham students and graduates are at the top of the profession, on par with graduates of Ivy League law schools."

"California Western and McGeorge have provided our firm with some of the best attorneys we've ever seen. I'd put them up against any Top 20 school. They have a drive to do well, and they are extremely hardworking."

To view the list visit http://www.vault.com/lawschool/underrated/.