Morrison & Foerster is lowering the starting pay of its associates to $145,000 in California, while associates in New York and Asia will continue to receive the same pay. The firm is the first Big Law firm to lower California rates, which are generally the same as New York rates with associates in other offices receiving less. Firm Chairman Keith Wetmore noted that this is actually a return to the historical practice of major law firms paying associates in New York more than in other cities, in part due to higher billing rates.

Other firms have dropped salaries for first year associates this year, but they’ve kept New York and LA parallel.