First-year associates at larger midsized firms—head counts between 251 and 500—saw a 6.7% increase in their salaries, while associates at 700-plus attorney firms saw hikes of 16.1%, according to a study by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP).

While the raises signal that larger firms, even some that would be considered midsized, couldn't resist the urge to try to match the round of associate pay raises put in motion by Milbank in 2018, plenty of firms did not.

Few firms, in fact, have hit the $190,000 benchmark, according to the report. Although $190,000 is the most frequently occurring salary in Big Law, accounting for 29.3% of reported first-year associate salaries, smaller shops and firms with head counts between 501 and 700 didn't budge and reported flat associate salary growth in 2018.