Kirkland Signing Bonuses Forum

[Anonymous User]

What is the largest signing bonus people have heard that Kirkland has paid to mid levels? Trying to figure out if it’s worth suffering at K&E for a year to pocket the cash and then leave biglaw.

For background, I’m class of 2017 PE/M&A associate at a V10 in NYC right now.

[Anonymous User]

Have heard of a 2016 getting a $250k signing bonus, but he didn’t take it. I’m sure it’s gone higher than that for others though (this was a few months ago).

[Anonymous User]

What is the largest signing bonus people have heard that Kirkland has paid to mid levels? Trying to figure out if it’s worth suffering at K&E for a year to pocket the cash and then leave biglaw.

For background, I’m class of 2017 PE/M&A associate at a V10 in NYC right now.

For what it's worth: the larger the sign-on bonus, the longer the clawback period. I'm sure the $250k signing bonus referenced above had a two-year clawback period.

[Anonymous User]

Tip-Negotiate clawback so if you leave before lockup expires you only pay back the % of time you didn’t stay. Couldn’t imagine agreeing to 2 years with a cliff

[Anonymous User]

They offered me a $250k signing bonus (one year claw) and then $200k year-end bonus at the end of next month.

[Anonymous User]

They offered me a $250k signing bonus (one year claw) and then $200k year-end bonus at the end of next month.

Class year/group? Wow

[Anonymous User]

Congrats Hard to go wrong if you can stomach a brutal 2022 of work.

Have you lateraled before or would this be your second firm?

[Anonymous User]

They offered me a $250k signing bonus (one year claw) and then $200k year-end bonus at the end of next month.

Class year/group? Wow

Can you tell us your practice group?

[Anonymous User]

They offered me a $250k signing bonus (one year claw) and then $200k year-end bonus at the end of next month.

I'm a 3rd year M&A/capital markets associate at...uh a key competitor...and would move right now for this deal.

[Anonymous User]

These K&E signing bonuses are both fascinating and sad that K&E has to resort to paying them at this level to attract talent.

[Anonymous User]

These K&E signing bonuses are both fascinating and sad that K&E has to resort to paying them at this level to attract talent.

yeah so sad that people are getting paid a lot of money by a firm that has the largest volume of deals by far. so sad. i think amazon does something similar too, terrible!

[Anonymous User]

I am really very curious what a litigator could pull as a lateral hire at Kirkland. Even an experienced one would probably get less than a transactional associate, but I wonder if it's even remotely close..

[Anonymous User]

I'm aware of a signing bonus as high as $350k for a senior associate hired as an NSP in a corporate practice at K&E recently.

[Anonymous User]

These K&E signing bonuses are both fascinating and sad that K&E has to resort to paying them at this level to attract talent.

It's not "has to resort". They've made this their business model. Instead of the old cravath system of "train them in and retain the better ones" they just poach everyone else's trained good people. It's brilliant in a sort of evil way.

[Anonymous User]

Tip-Negotiate clawback so if you leave before lockup expires you only pay back the % of time you didn’t stay. Couldn’t imagine agreeing to 2 years with a cliff

Not a lateral but I received a Kirkland bonus subject to clawback and it was structured with monthly vesting, i.e., for each month I was at the firm, 1/12th of it vested. If I left the firm after five months (or 5 months and 29 days), I owed 7/12ths of it back.

[Anonymous User]

I am really very curious what a litigator could pull as a lateral hire at Kirkland. Even an experienced one would probably get less than a transactional associate, but I wonder if it's even remotely close..

I’m not sure about this, but the associate referral bonuses are up to 50k now. I bet that you could find a law school classmate at the firm to refer you and at a minimum split that.

[Anonymous User]

A senior associate friend received a $400k signing bonus in a newly opened K&E office. They started at $200k and he negotiated to $400k without a problem.

[Anonymous User]

A senior associate friend received a $400k signing bonus in a newly opened K&E office. They started at $200k and he negotiated to $400k without a problem.

Damn. I can’t believe the firm still manages to have insanely high PPP numbers, even after throwing around reckless money like this.

[Anonymous User]

These K&E signing bonuses are both fascinating and sad that K&E has to resort to paying them at this level to attract talent.

It's not "has to resort". They've made this their business model. Instead of the old cravath system of "train them in and retain the better ones" they just poach everyone else's trained good people. It's brilliant in a sort of evil way.

If by "poach everyone else's trained good people" you mean middling DLA Piper senior associates who have not yet marked up a full purchase agreement, then I guess you're right.

[Anonymous User]

I'm not sure how anyone can call out K&E for throwing around $400k signing bonuses by pointing to how DPW pays less at 2200 hours than DLA got damn Piper.

Yes, making less money for doing *this* is now more prestigious. What a joke.

[Anonymous User]

I am really very curious what a litigator could pull as a lateral hire at Kirkland. Even an experienced one would probably get less than a transactional associate, but I wonder if it's even remotely close..

I’m not sure about this, but the associate referral bonuses are up to 50k now. I bet that you could find a law school classmate at the firm to refer you and at a minimum split that.

My V50 is offering associate referral bonus of 30k. I think we're cheap on signing bonus tho.

[Anonymous User]

anyone know if K&E is offering remote work?

[Anonymous User]

anyone know if K&E is offering remote work?

Not being advertised as such but on a case by case basis it is being considered. Think the odds get better the more senior that you are.

[VentureMBA]

A senior associate friend received a $400k signing bonus in a newly opened K&E office. They started at $200k and he negotiated to $400k without a problem.

Damn. I can’t believe the firm still manages to have insanely high PPP numbers, even after throwing around reckless money like this.

It's really not reckless. A senior associate is billing at least $1k an hour, so we're talking about 2 months worth of work.

[Anonymous User]

A senior associate friend received a $400k signing bonus in a newly opened K&E office. They started at $200k and he negotiated to $400k without a problem.

Damn. I can’t believe the firm still manages to have insanely high PPP numbers, even after throwing around reckless money like this.

It's really not reckless. A senior associate is billing at least $1k an hour, so we're talking about 2 months worth of work.

Let's also be clear, the numbers in this thread are not at all the norm for lateral hires. I know of a senior associate who moved over as an NSP in corporate for $100k. And in litigation and BK, as discussed, these numbers are almost certainly much smaller (though they're also seriously hurting for people).

The other related point is that KE's edge on year-end bonuses has been consistently shrinking for at least a decade now. That offsets some of the extra in signing and retention bonuses.