Is it worth it to practice biglaw in Philly over NYC, LA, SF, and SD?

[dukedogalley]

They sure do - you just gotta look for them, and accept the fact that if you're gonna work less, you're gonna be paid less. Less for my firm = not that far off of market rate.

Dont want to completely highjack thread, but can you offer some insight into lifestyle firms in NYC?  Maybe a list of such firms, hours, size, what you like and what you dont like about your firm?  What is "not that far off market" 130, 140? Also, how competitive are these firms, I would guess less competitve than market paying jobs?   

[offer]

They sure do - you just gotta look for them, and accept the fact that if you're gonna work less, you're gonna be paid less. Less for my firm = not that far off of market rate.

Dont want to completely highjack thread, but can you offer some insight into lifestyle firms in NYC?  Maybe a list of such firms, hours, size, what you like and what you dont like about your firm?  What is "not that far off market" 130, 140? Also, how competitive are these firms, I would guess less competitve than market paying jobs?   

Don't forget to consider total compensation (base salary + bonus) not just for first-year associates, but also for second- through eighth-year associates.

140k may not seem that far off from 160k, but the person making the latter may also be getting a 15-30k extra bonus.  Also, the 140k may only increase to 170k by the eighth-year, while the 160k increases to 280k.