I'm sick of hearing non-biglaw associates gripe about how they work just as hard (or harder) as biglaw associates, but get a fraction of the pay. While I sympathize with their plight, they don't get it (which is probably why they didn't get into top schools or land a biglaw gig). It's not about working hard, it's about critical thinking skills. Law firms could find plenty of people to review documents for 14 hours a day or even argue motions coherently and pay them a quarter of what they associates. It is the critical thinking skills that clients are paying you big bucks for, not the hours you are willing to slave at the office. Biglaw firms, and most professional employers, are all about avoiding risk. It is simply a rational bet to gamble on a lawyer from a top school, with top grades and/or from top firm. There are exceptions, but law firms have figured out the odds, which prove themselves time and time again. If the whiners were really as good as they claim they are, they would be able to lateral to a biglaw gig, or better yet, find clients to pay biglaw fees (some, but very few, do this and they are not the ones whining to me about their paltry salary).