In 2009, 42 AM Law 100 firms posted declines in Compensation–All Partners, 14 fewer than in 2008. Forty firms had CAP of more than $1 million on average, down from 42 in 2008. For the second year in a row, average CAP for The Am Law 100 as a whole dropped, falling 2 percent, to $944,612.
CAP is the average pay for a firm’s entire partnership, both equity and nonequity. Because this calculation takes both equity and nonequity partners into account, the numbers below are the most complete assessment of partner pay for The Am Law 100. Numbers on this chart are rounded to the nearest $5,000. For more details, including our criteria for classifying partners as having equity status, see “A Guide to Our Methodology,” page 123.
