Holy Crap

From the DMN:

Vinson & Elkins LLP, which has its largest offices in Dallas and Houston, said Wednesday it's raising its first-year annual salary to $160,000 and second-year salary to $170,000, up from $135,000 and $145,000. Industry experts say Vinson & Elkins is the first major Texas firm to match the salary that New York firms bumped first-year lawyers up to in January.

And later in the story:

The top salaries apply to only the elite law firms. Entry-level lawyers in Texas earn about $58,439 a year, according to the Texas Workforce Commission . . . .