Kirkland Bonuses? Forum

[Anonymous User]

For anyone that was a 4th year with a 2 rating last year and 2,200+ hours, what did your multiplier look like? Wondering how much of an effect an above-class rating has on bonus.

Huge effect. Ballis will come to your office with a bottle of mid-tier "champagne" (it's sparkling wine) and personally thank you for your service to the firm in a prepared speech he reads from a piece of paper given to him by Steinmetz. Thanks for the great question.

Personally, I’d like to thank you for your contribution to the firm. You did a really good job and I hope Jonny rewards you for it.

Fingers crossed for the steak knives this year.

[Anonymous User]

Are bonus memos going to go out this Friday?

Haven’t heard a peep about when Ballis will do his spiel about K&E dominating the competition and bonuses being massive (not).

[Anonymous User]

Are bonus memos going to go out this Friday?

Haven’t heard a peep about when Ballis will do his spiel about K&E dominating the competition and bonuses being massive (not).

Agreed - silence is a bit unsettling. In terms of timing from the past years, this Friday should be the memo day (last year, when it also felt like forever, associates got the bonus memo on Friday the 17th and NSPs the Monday after).

[Anonymous User]

Are bonus memos going to go out this Friday?

Haven’t heard a peep about when Ballis will do his spiel about K&E dominating the competition and bonuses being massive (not).

Agreed - silence is a bit unsettling. In terms of timing from the past years, this Friday should be the memo day (last year, when it also felt like forever, associates got the bonus memo on Friday the 17th and NSPs the Monday after).

All of this is ordinary course. They'll probably do a town hall midweek for Ballis to do his spiel, associates will find out end of week, NSPs early the week after.

[Anonymous User]

Are bonus memos going to go out this Friday?

Haven’t heard a peep about when Ballis will do his spiel about K&E dominating the competition and bonuses being massive (not).

Agreed - silence is a bit unsettling. In terms of timing from the past years, this Friday should be the memo day (last year, when it also felt like forever, associates got the bonus memo on Friday the 17th and NSPs the Monday after).

Not sure what you're talking about. Historically it was often around the 22nd.

[Anonymous User]

K&E bonus associate town hall scheduled this Thursday at 3:30.

[Anonymous User]

No zoom link for a Firmwide announcement is top shelf

[Anonymous User]

No zoom link for a Firmwide announcement is top shelf

“Isolate and demoralize. That’ll get’em to bill another 2,500 hours next year!”

[Anonymous User]

It's notable how much the volume of posting on this site has declined from just a year ago. Has everyone just moved over to fishbowl and reddit? The equivalent of this thread on the eve of the town hall was popping 12 months ago.

[Anonymous User]

It's notable how much the volume of posting on this site has declined from just a year ago. Has everyone just moved over to fishbowl and reddit? The equivalent of this thread on the eve of the town hall was popping 12 months ago.

Maybe Sackboy was right--anon abuse has killed us.

[Anonymous User]

It's notable how much the volume of posting on this site has declined from just a year ago. Has everyone just moved over to fishbowl and reddit? The equivalent of this thread on the eve of the town hall was popping 12 months ago.

Maybe Sackboy was right--anon abuse has killed us.

Highly, highly doubt that the ability to post anonymously about sensitive (and not so sensitive) biglaw topics is what is "kill[ing] us." That's a perk not a problem. I suspect it's more that in general the message board format is becoming less mainstream over time. But I've checked out fishbowl and the quality of the discussion there is frankly piss poor. Saw this happen to ATL (went from a great community with a lot of inside baseball info to ... whatever it is now), feels like it's sort of happening here too and there doesn't feel like a great alternative right now. To be clear TLS discussion quality is still high, probably w/o exaggeration the best you can get on biglaw topics online, but the volume is just obviously down in a worrying way and volume is it's own quality when you're coming to places for information.

[Anonymous User]

People don't like having to log in to read threads or post. It makes this site much less convenient to use. Not surprising that it's being overtaken by competitors.

[Anonymous User]

It's notable how much the volume of posting on this site has declined from just a year ago. Has everyone just moved over to fishbowl and reddit? The equivalent of this thread on the eve of the town hall was popping 12 months ago.

Maybe Sackboy was right--anon abuse has killed us.

People don't like having to log in to read threads or post. It makes this site much less convenient to use. Not surprising that it's being overtaken by competitors.

Anon's the one thing keeping this site alive, and you have to login to read fishbowl (which also has anon). People have just moved away from the traditional internet forum model for more integrated, app-based systems.

[Sackboy]

Just popping in to say that I'm glad my anti-anon abuse fanaticism is recognized.

Generally agree, however, that the primary problem with site traffic is that old school forums, which I grew up on, are in serious decline.

Anyway, hope you all get good bonus news tomorrow.

[Anonymous User]

It's notable how much the volume of posting on this site has declined from just a year ago. Has everyone just moved over to fishbowl and reddit? The equivalent of this thread on the eve of the town hall was popping 12 months ago.

Maybe Sackboy was right--anon abuse has killed us.

People don't like having to log in to read threads or post. It makes this site much less convenient to use. Not surprising that it's being overtaken by competitors.

Anon's the one thing keeping this site alive, and you have to login to read fishbowl (which also has anon). People have just moved away from the traditional internet forum model for more integrated, app-based systems.

I strongly believe log-in to read posts it what has killed this site.

[Anonymous User]

It's notable how much the volume of posting on this site has declined from just a year ago. Has everyone just moved over to fishbowl and reddit? The equivalent of this thread on the eve of the town hall was popping 12 months ago.

Maybe Sackboy was right--anon abuse has killed us.

People don't like having to log in to read threads or post. It makes this site much less convenient to use. Not surprising that it's being overtaken by competitors.

Anon's the one thing keeping this site alive, and you have to login to read fishbowl (which also has anon). People have just moved away from the traditional internet forum model for more integrated, app-based systems.

I strongly believe log-in to read posts it what has killed this site.

Agreed

[Anonymous User]

It's notable how much the volume of posting on this site has declined from just a year ago. Has everyone just moved over to fishbowl and reddit? The equivalent of this thread on the eve of the town hall was popping 12 months ago.

Maybe Sackboy was right--anon abuse has killed us.

People don't like having to log in to read threads or post. It makes this site much less convenient to use. Not surprising that it's being overtaken by competitors.

Anon's the one thing keeping this site alive, and you have to login to read fishbowl (which also has anon). People have just moved away from the traditional internet forum model for more integrated, app-based systems.

I strongly believe log-in to read posts it what has killed this site.

Agreed

Also agreed. I also believe removing the comment section killed ATL. No one really gives a shit what some editor who left biglaw as a 2nd year back in 2014 thinks about bonuses/salary wars. It was the ability to communicate with other lawyers with relative anonymity and low barrier of entry + ability to lurk freely if you didn't want to comment. Forums aren't dying. Reddit is one of the most popular sites on the planet, and it is essentially one large forum. The only difference is that they created a uniquely smart way of self-moderating boards through their upvoting system (although, of course, we know the many problems with that).

[Anonymous User]

From the town hall:

- Floor is Baker/Cravath scale, no minimum hours
- All associates above 1800 get an additional “merit” amount above market
- All associates above 2000 also get an additional amount on top of merit and market minimum
- There is no hard cap on bonus
- If you remove the Covid special bonuses from last year’s amount, the bonus amounts are higher this year.

[Anonymous User]

From the town hall:

- Floor is Baker/Cravath scale, no minimum hours
- All associates above 1800 get an additional “merit” amount above market
- All associates above 2000 also get an additional amount on top of merit and market minimum
- There is no hard cap on bonus
- If you remove the Covid special bonuses from last year’s amount, the bonus amounts are higher this year.

Pretty encouraging. Kinda confirms the special bonus messed with the multiples last year.

[doctor]

- If you remove the Covid special bonuses from last year’s amount, the bonus amounts are higher this year.

Is this a real quote? "If you ignore the top-up from last year then the top-up this year is better"?

[Anonymous User]

From the town hall:

- Floor is Baker/Cravath scale, no minimum hours
- All associates above 1800 get an additional “merit” amount above market
- All associates above 2000 also get an additional amount on top of merit and market minimum
- There is no hard cap on bonus
- If you remove the Covid special bonuses from last year’s amount, the bonus amounts are higher this year.

This is inaccurate in at least one specific important respect: associates above 1800 in class years above 4 would also need to have gotten a 1 or 2 rating; just billing >1800s is not enough at that level of seniority or above.

[Anonymous User]

From the town hall:

- Floor is Baker/Cravath scale, no minimum hours
- All associates above 1800 get an additional “merit” amount above market
- All associates above 2000 also get an additional amount on top of merit and market minimum
- There is no hard cap on bonus
- If you remove the Covid special bonuses from last year’s amount, the bonus amounts are higher this year.

This is inaccurate in at least one specific important respect: associates above 1800 in class years above 4 would also need to have gotten a 1 or 2 rating; just billing >1800s is not enough at that level of seniority or above.

Sorry yes, getting any of the above requires at least a 3. If you’re a 5th or 6th year, you need a 3 to get base + hours boost, but need a 2 or 1 to get the merit boost portion.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know how the leave of absence bonus policy fits into this / does anyone have any experience with how the policy gets implemented, from personal experience? Seems like any way you cut it you get dinged for mat leave….

[Anonymous User]

When are memos supposed to be released?

[Anonymous User]

When are memos supposed to be released?

Early next week/Tuesday evening