In an eight-hour day, five-day working week, that would earn the employee $5 an hour – three dollars less than Massachusetts’ minimum $8 hourly wage.
The firm – two-lawyer outfit Gilbert & O’Bryan – said in the ad: ‘Compensation is mainly based on a percentage of work billed and collected… We expect an associate to earn $10,000 in compensation in the first year.’
According to The Toronto Star newspaper the firm has received more than 40 applications for the post, despite the lowly wage.
Partner Galen Gilbert told the Star: ‘We constantly reassess our firm’s needs and ability to offer a position to people. We’re a very small firm. Our revenues [were] less than $100,000 last year for two attorneys.’
The advertisement has been removed since the media coverage.