When to ask for a raise

[Isthatlegal]

Say that you got hired in March of this year. Say that you’ve been busting your ass and the partners have been pleased with your performance. Say that your letter of employment says that they will consider and raise your salary annually. Is it appropriate to ask for a raise in January of next year? Or is it better to wait till March (since the official 1 year mark will be March)? I am told that unless you speak to the higher ups directly, they “forget” about the part in the contract that said the salary will be raised annually. But is it bad form to ask for a raise in January itself? I kind of want to ask in January because I feel like it’s justified with the amount of work I’ve put in - and they’ve seen it. But what is the proper etiquette?

[Mountebank]

If it's justified, I'd say go for it. If the firm's year-end is Dec 31, then it makes sense to talk about comp is Jan/Feb anyway.

[Vizslaw]

I would ask for a year end performance review to confirm your beliefs and then bring up issue of a raise at the end of the review. If you're working hard and bringing in $$ to the firm, I don't think they will be peeved you're asking for a raise effective January instead of March. They might also decide to increase your hourly rate as of January 2022, so the timing might line up, depending on the nature of your practice and the firm's clientele. 

Hard to say how your principal/managing partner will react since it is likely more about their personality than what your contract says. But the bottom line with raises is usually that if you want to earn more you have to bill more. Every firm is different, so beyond this it's hard to give more insight.

[Isthatlegal]

Thank you both!