NY Times: Law Firms Embrace Permanent Associate Tracks

New York Times, At Well-Paying Law Firms, a Low-Paid Corner:

The nation’s biggest law firms are creating a second tier of workers, stripping pay and prestige from one of the most coveted jobs in the business world.

Make no mistake: These are full-fledged lawyers, not paralegals, and they do the same work traditional legal associates do. But they earn less than half the pay of their counterparts — usually around $60,000 — and they know from the outset they will never make partner.

• ABA Journal, Will Career Associate Programs Cause Resentment?
• Above the Law, Not on the Partner Track — and Maybe That’s Okay
• Wall Street Journal, Second Tier Associates Who are Decidedly Not Second Tier

Update: Erik Gerding (New Mexico), Tiers of Associates; Tiers for Legal Degrees?