In a bit of bonus and salary news recently released, the law firm of Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, has announced via a press release that it has increased the salaries and guaranteed bonuses for first-year associates to $170,000. The firm is based in Houston, Texas. The new salary and bonus amount is much higher than most at other big law firms across the country and the world.
“We are small and lean, and we successfully go toe-to-toe with the biggest law firms in the country on a regular basis,” AZA founding partner John Zavitsanos said. “Like our bigger competitors, we’ve paid our first-year lawyers $160,000 until now. But we’re growing and doing more exciting work, and we want to attract even more top-level talent. We want law grads who are not interested in carrying someone else’s briefcase, but would rather stand up in court themselves.”
A salary of $165,000 is now in effect for first-year lawyers, who receive an added $5,000 bonus. For the past couple of years, less and less law firms across the country have offered first-year lawyer salaries of $160,000. The new first-year lawyer salary from AZA creates some of the best buying power in the country, according to the National Association for Law Placement.
“We strive to get associates in front of a jury during their first year at the firm,” Zavitsanos said. “So far, every new lawyer we’ve hired has had a significant role in a jury case within 12 months of joining the firm.”
The firm has 25 lawyers so far, but it continues to grow. The firm’s specialties include intellectual property and complex commercial litigation cases. One of the firm’s major advantags is that it employs only trial-ready lawyers. The trial lawyers at AZA have experience in cases dealing with securities fraud, intellectual property, energy, business disputes and construction disputes.