No Thaw in Sight; Mallesons Pay Freeze Set to Stay

We received the following insight from an anonymous Mallesons spy last night:

When the Mallesons pay freeze was introduced it was implemented on the basis that it would be reviewed in December against how the firm was tracking against budget. In recent centre by centre reports on a detailed employee survey (the Vibe) Mallesons undertakes every two years, presenters were at pains to point out that the firm was NOT tracking towards budget, with the hidden implication being that the pay freeze will continue. This is of course news to those lawyers in some sections who are exceeding their budget consistently and are being paid well below people in other firms who get to go home at 6 each night.

6pm?! Who leaves the office at that unreasonably early hour? Certainly not Mallesons lawyers. How else are partners able to boast revenue that is a whopping $58,000,000.00 higher than its nearest competitors, despite having apparently less employees?

In our most recent poll (see to the right), we asked precisely this question – inviting your views on how Mallesons manages this incredible revenue feat. You responded as follows:

Mallesons outperforms its competitors (by $58m!) despite having apparently less employees because:

a) Mallesons lawyers work harder, longer hours than at competitor law firms (95 votes);

b) Charge-out rates are higher than at competitor law firms (52 votes);

c) Chief Exceutive Partner Robert Milliner is a part-time warlock (116 votes)

So if lawyers are working hard, beating budget, leaving well after 6pm, and the Chief Executive Partner is actually gandalf the grey, shouldn’t more money just appear? Will lawyers, who have their pay frozen, watch as Mallesons partners earn more than their reported 2008/2009 wage of between $1,400,000.00 and $1,600,000.00?

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