Kirkland Good Standing/Hours for Lateral Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hi Everyone, I am a mid-level lateral at K&E (joined end of 2020) and have read countless threads on fishbowl and here about hours at K&E. My question more so relates to expectations for K&E lateral associates and how hours are prorated/evaluated for year end bonus purposes. During the bonus announcements last year, I read that associates with ~1800 hours got full market bonuses while associates billing way more (2300+) obviously got higher than market bonuses. I just have no idea what the expectation is for laterals who joined K&E part way through the billing year for what hours (annualized or not) we are supposed to be hitting. Obviously I am staying busy and working a lot but am otherwise in the dark.

[Best]

I negotiated this after getting an offer. I believe the default with Kirkland is they prorate it, but it's discretionary and you can get above market still if you crush it while you're there.

[Anonymous User]

Your hours will be prorated during the bonus year (which runs Sept-Aug) for purposes of your year-end bonus. I don't think laterals are otherwise treated differently, absent some agreement when you first sign on.

I am aware of multiple associates who receive a 3 (the satisfactory merit grade, which I imagine pretty much every lateral will receive in their first year) and billed about 1800 hours who still got slightly above-market bonuses. I'm talking like a 5% premium on top of market. 2000 hours and 3 will get you somewhere around a 20% premium. It goes up from there, although the really big multipliers go to those who gets 2s or 1s on their merit grades. Associates who get 2s with 2500+ hours can get close to double bonuses.

[Lawsohard99]

Haven’t heard of anyone lateraling and getting screwed on bonus, typically you get the base “K&E market” bonus and if there’s anything I’d say even if you knock it out of the park on an annualized basis you’re more likely to just still get “K&E market” rather than a higher multiple of “K&E market”

[Anonymous User]

I have also heard of associates who lateraled to K&E pre-covid bonuses, with guaranteed bonuses for the first X years, receiving both their guaranteed bonus and the covid bonus - they seem to be pretty good at looking after people.

[Anonymous User]

I got 1.03X market for "3" with probably ~2000 hours my first year as a lateral. That is pretty much bare minimum unless you get a "4," but if you get a "4" you should lateral out ASAP.