Which firms do not (as a matter of policy) give out signing bonuses? Forum

[PlzFix]

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[Anonymous User]

Did a firm or recruiter tell you that? I kind of doubt many, if any, V100 firms hold that line anymore if you’re a compelling candidate.

[Anonymous User]

I don’t think Gunderson gives signing bonuses as a matter of policy.

[Anonymous User]

I don’t think Gunderson gives signing bonuses as a matter of policy.

This matches my experience with them and have heard the same from others. I was really surprised with how much hiring they've been doing.

[Anonymous User]

Did a firm or recruiter tell you that? I kind of doubt many, if any, V100 firms hold that line anymore if you’re a compelling candidate.

Not OP but a recruiter told me this recently about V100s. Anon because I assume recruiters lurk/use TLS and it's easy to figure out what firm I'm at and my class year by my non-anonymized posts. Why do you think recruiters would say this?

[Anonymous User]

I don’t think Gunderson gives signing bonuses as a matter of policy.

This matches my experience with them and have heard the same from others. I was really surprised with how much hiring they've been doing.

Was offered a signing bonus when I received an offer to lateral there.

[Anonymous User]

I don’t think Gunderson gives signing bonuses as a matter of policy.

This matches my experience with them and have heard the same from others. I was really surprised with how much hiring they've been doing.

Was offered a signing bonus when I received an offer to lateral there.

You must be in a high demand group.

[Anonymous User]

This was the case at a lot of firms until 2020 (especially among the STB/DPW/S&C group of old-school firms), but nearly every firm with that policy has since dropped it because of the market pressure in the last couple of years. Of course Cravath still doesn't hire associate laterals generally, although I think they made some exceptions recently in tax because they needed people, and I wonder if they paid signing bonuses to those people.

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

That firm might indeed pay signing bonuses sometimes, and that girl at the bar might indeed sleep with strangers sometimes. But they told you they don't because it's not gonna happen for you and they're being polite.

For a data point, I lateraled last year (as a fifth year) and Mayer Brown offered zero signing bonus even after my recruiter and I went back to them with half a dozen peer firms who offered a substantial one--absolutely would not budge. It was such a weirdly uncompetitive offer that we wondered why they bothered with their whole song and dance. So if you're an overworked MB associate and leadership is telling you they're trying to recruit laterals, they're really not, in any meaningful sense.

My old firm had a similar situation where everyone was slammed and they were promising furious associates they would bring people in. Talked to partner after a good candidate went somewhere else. He goes "Yeah, we really wanted to bring her in. Just had to dock her a class year and that was it." So then, no, you did not want to bring her in all that much.

[Anonymous User]

That firm might indeed pay signing bonuses sometimes, and that girl at the bar might indeed sleep with strangers sometimes. But they told you they don't because it's not gonna happen for you and they're being polite.

For a data point, I lateraled last year (as a fifth year) and Mayer Brown offered zero signing bonus even after my recruiter and I went back to them with half a dozen peer firms who offered a substantial one--absolutely would not budge. It was such a weirdly uncompetitive offer that we wondered why they bothered with their whole song and dance. So if you're an overworked MB associate and leadership is telling you they're trying to recruit laterals, they're really not, in any meaningful sense.

My old firm had a similar situation where everyone was slammed and they were promising furious associates they would bring people in. Talked to partner after a good candidate went somewhere else. He goes "Yeah, we really wanted to bring her in. Just had to dock her a class year and that was it." So then, no, you did not want to bring her in all that much.

I agree with this.

[Anonymous User]

That firm might indeed pay signing bonuses sometimes, and that girl at the bar might indeed sleep with strangers sometimes. But they told you they don't because it's not gonna happen for you and they're being polite.

For a data point, I lateraled last year (as a fifth year) and Mayer Brown offered zero signing bonus even after my recruiter and I went back to them with half a dozen peer firms who offered a substantial one--absolutely would not budge. It was such a weirdly uncompetitive offer that we wondered why they bothered with their whole song and dance. So if you're an overworked MB associate and leadership is telling you they're trying to recruit laterals, they're really not, in any meaningful sense.

My old firm had a similar situation where everyone was slammed and they were promising furious associates they would bring people in. Talked to partner after a good candidate went somewhere else. He goes "Yeah, we really wanted to bring her in. Just had to dock her a class year and that was it." So then, no, you did not want to bring her in all that much.

Interesting anecdote. I'm a senior associate at a V50-100 firm (corporate law) and they've had the same issue - trying to get laterals of my vintage and just can't seem to get anyone to stick. I'm not sure if they pay signing bonus, but I do know we haven't matched, annual bonus is about 30% below market, and of the two laterals we've hired (both my year out of law school) they've been brought in at least 3 class years below me. Now, they come from regional firms and receive a pay bump, but we have been unsuccessful to bring in people of my class year and enter as my peer. If I were to leave there would be no one in my office or an office I regularly work with who is within 3 class years of me.

FWIW I am probably accepting an in-house offer and will give notice in a few weeks. Will see if they try to get me to stay. I have a stay bonus number in my head that is pretty far out there, but if they offered I would stay for another year and then peace out.

[LBJ's Hair]

I don’t think Gunderson gives signing bonuses as a matter of policy.

no idea what the policy was historically, but they were offering them 2 months ago to junior corp laterals