Associate Bonus Scales by Firm Forum

[UndyingArtichoke]

Someone please link me if this already exists on this forum or through some other source, e.g. ATL, but I've been surprised not to see it...

Wondering how each firm awards bonuses, and how much they give. E.g., seems like Cravath and Milbank are lockstep bonuses no matter what, some firms have a bonus for hitting a certain amount of hours and nothing after that, and some give $x/y% of base per marginal chunk of hours after target (e.g., Kirkland, Sidley, I think, but I don't know the formulas).

I can make an update a chart in this top post for awhile if there's interest and responses.

[Anonymous User]

Someone please link me if this already exists on this forum or through some other source, e.g. ATL, but I've been surprised not to see it...

Wondering how each firm awards bonuses, and how much they give. E.g., seems like Cravath and Milbank are lockstep bonuses no matter what, some firms have a bonus for hitting a certain amount of hours and nothing after that, and some give $x/y% of base per marginal chunk of hours after target (e.g., Kirkland, Sidley, I think, but I don't know the formulas).

I can make an update a chart in this top post for awhile if there's interest and responses.

You won't really find this data because for most firms it's mushy. I've worked at two different firms that give above market bonuses, but the formulation for how much additional bonus you get is not clear. It's a mix of work product, hours, practice group, office location etc.

[Anonymous User]

Some of the bonus memos linked in the ATL scorecard give you this information. But it's not compiled in an easy-to-read format.

https://abovethelaw.com/2021/11/biglaw- ... cker-2021/

[Anonymous User]

Last year King & Spalding changed its bonus structure. It matched the Cravath/DP scale for all offices (1950 threshold to get a bonus), and then associates could get an additional 5% for every 100 hours over 1950. There's also a "leadership" bonus where some associates got an additional $5-10k.

[Anonymous User]

WilmerHale offers $5k over market for 2200, adds $10k for 2500, and then another $10k for every 200 after that (2700, 2900, etc.). There's also a special/discretionary merit bonus that some get. Better than most firms for juniors, but it still leaves the seniors below some of their peers.

[Anonymous User]

WilmerHale offers $5k over market for 2200, adds $10k for 2500, and then another $10k for every 200 after that (2700, 2900, etc.). There's also a special/discretionary merit bonus that some get. Better than most firms for juniors, but it still leaves the seniors below some of their peers.

From 2200 to 2500, that's 300 hours for an additional 10K, or $33.33 per billing hour. As we know, billing hours require more than one real hour. Hang it up at 2200 and find a hobby, people.

[Anonymous User]

WilmerHale offers $5k over market for 2200, adds $10k for 2500, and then another $10k for every 200 after that (2700, 2900, etc.). There's also a special/discretionary merit bonus that some get. Better than most firms for juniors, but it still leaves the seniors below some of their peers.

From 2200 to 2500, that's 300 hours for an additional 10K, or $33.33 per billing hour. As we know, billing hours require more than one real hour. Hang it up at 2200 and find a hobby, people.

I know someone who billed like 1000 extra hours and got $35k to show for it. That's rough.

[Anonymous User]

WilmerHale offers $5k over market for 2200, adds $10k for 2500, and then another $10k for every 200 after that (2700, 2900, etc.). There's also a special/discretionary merit bonus that some get. Better than most firms for juniors, but it still leaves the seniors below some of their peers.

From 2200 to 2500, that's 300 hours for an additional 10K, or $33.33 per billing hour. As we know, billing hours require more than one real hour. Hang it up at 2200 and find a hobby, people.

I know someone who billed like 1000 extra hours and got $35k to show for it. That's rough.

Staring at that 18k check after taxes would be rough after having wasted so much time.

[Anonymous User]

Fried Frank pays 15% additional bonus (based on market bonus for your class year, so 115% of market) at 2200+ and then at 2450+ you get another 15% (so 130% of market).

[Anonymous User]

WilmerHale offers $5k over market for 2200, adds $10k for 2500, and then another $10k for every 200 after that (2700, 2900, etc.). There's also a special/discretionary merit bonus that some get. Better than most firms for juniors, but it still leaves the seniors below some of their peers.

From 2200 to 2500, that's 300 hours for an additional 10K, or $33.33 per billing hour. As we know, billing hours require more than one real hour. Hang it up at 2200 and find a hobby, people.

I know someone who billed like 1000 extra hours and got $35k to show for it. That's rough.

I know someone at a V30 who went 700 over and got $3k.

[Antetrust]

WilmerHale offers $5k over market for 2200, adds $10k for 2500, and then another $10k for every 200 after that (2700, 2900, etc.). There's also a special/discretionary merit bonus that some get. Better than most firms for juniors, but it still leaves the seniors below some of their peers.

From 2200 to 2500, that's 300 hours for an additional 10K, or $33.33 per billing hour. As we know, billing hours require more than one real hour. Hang it up at 2200 and find a hobby, people.

I know someone who billed like 1000 extra hours and got $35k to show for it. That's rough.

I know someone at a V30 who went 700 over and got $3k.

Is there more to this story? Why did they only get $3k? Did they burn the building down the next day?

[Anonymous User]

WilmerHale offers $5k over market for 2200, adds $10k for 2500, and then another $10k for every 200 after that (2700, 2900, etc.). There's also a special/discretionary merit bonus that some get. Better than most firms for juniors, but it still leaves the seniors below some of their peers.

From 2200 to 2500, that's 300 hours for an additional 10K, or $33.33 per billing hour. As we know, billing hours require more than one real hour. Hang it up at 2200 and find a hobby, people.

I know someone who billed like 1000 extra hours and got $35k to show for it. That's rough.

I know someone at a V30 who went 700 over and got $3k.

Is there more to this story? Why did they only get $3k? Did they burn the building down the next day?

I mean, at a certain V2 you don't get anything above the lockstep no matter how much you bill, and you bill 3000 easy.

[Anonymous User]

WilmerHale offers $5k over market for 2200, adds $10k for 2500, and then another $10k for every 200 after that (2700, 2900, etc.). There's also a special/discretionary merit bonus that some get. Better than most firms for juniors, but it still leaves the seniors below some of their peers.

From 2200 to 2500, that's 300 hours for an additional 10K, or $33.33 per billing hour. As we know, billing hours require more than one real hour. Hang it up at 2200 and find a hobby, people.

I know someone who billed like 1000 extra hours and got $35k to show for it. That's rough.

I know someone at a V30 who went 700 over and got $3k.

Is there more to this story? Why did they only get $3k? Did they burn the building down the next day?

I mean, at a certain V2 you don't get anything above the lockstep no matter how much you bill, and you bill 3000 easy.

But that prefTTTige equity...

[Anonymous User]

At my V20, I got 60% on top of my bonus for annualizing 2,500 client billables (I took leave a couple months parental leave, so was only a little over 2,100 for the year)

[Anonymous User]

At my V20, I got 60% on top of my bonus for annualizing 2,500 client billables (I took leave a couple months parental leave, so was only a little over 2,100 for the year)

Which firm? Is 60% standard for those hours or do you get KE-style associate-specific multipliers?

[Antetrust]

WilmerHale offers $5k over market for 2200, adds $10k for 2500, and then another $10k for every 200 after that (2700, 2900, etc.). There's also a special/discretionary merit bonus that some get. Better than most firms for juniors, but it still leaves the seniors below some of their peers.

From 2200 to 2500, that's 300 hours for an additional 10K, or $33.33 per billing hour. As we know, billing hours require more than one real hour. Hang it up at 2200 and find a hobby, people.

I know someone who billed like 1000 extra hours and got $35k to show for it. That's rough.

I know someone at a V30 who went 700 over and got $3k.

Is there more to this story? Why did they only get $3k? Did they burn the building down the next day?

I mean, at a certain V2 you don't get anything above the lockstep no matter how much you bill, and you bill 3000 easy.

that's ridiculous lol

[Anonymous User]

At my V20, I got 60% on top of my bonus for annualizing 2,500 client billables (I took leave a couple months parental leave, so was only a little over 2,100 for the year)

Which firm? Is 60% standard for those hours or do you get KE-style associate-specific multipliers?

60% isn’t hard if a junior associate.

[Anonymous User]

V10 gave $50k to a few third years with hours above 2700. Rumor has it one of the third years was close to 4000 but they offered that associate the same $50k as the 2700ers.

[Anonymous User]

V10 gave $50k to a few third years with hours above 2700. Rumor has it one of the third years was close to 4000 but they offered that associate the same $50k as the 2700ers.

4000 just isn't healthy. Gonna burn out or drop dead. Assuming it's not from heavy padding, which is its own issue.

[Anonymous User]

Does someone know this for Cooley and Gibson

[Anonymous User]

WilmerHale offers $5k over market for 2200, adds $10k for 2500, and then another $10k for every 200 after that (2700, 2900, etc.). There's also a special/discretionary merit bonus that some get. Better than most firms for juniors, but it still leaves the seniors below some of their peers.

From 2200 to 2500, that's 300 hours for an additional 10K, or $33.33 per billing hour. As we know, billing hours require more than one real hour. Hang it up at 2200 and find a hobby, people.

I know someone who billed like 1000 extra hours and got $35k to show for it. That's rough.

I know someone at a V30 who went 700 over and got $3k.

Is there more to this story? Why did they only get $3k? Did they burn the building down the next day?

I mean, at a certain V2 you don't get anything above the lockstep no matter how much you bill, and you bill 3000 easy.

that's ridiculous lol

Ridiculous until you consider that the lockstep bonus at a certain V2 is typically 100% of base.

[Anonymous User]

From 2200 to 2500, that's 300 hours for an additional 10K, or $33.33 per billing hour. As we know, billing hours require more than one real hour. Hang it up at 2200 and find a hobby, people.

I know someone who billed like 1000 extra hours and got $35k to show for it. That's rough.

I know someone at a V30 who went 700 over and got $3k.

Is there more to this story? Why did they only get $3k? Did they burn the building down the next day?

I mean, at a certain V2 you don't get anything above the lockstep no matter how much you bill, and you bill 3000 easy.

that's ridiculous lol

Ridiculous until you consider that the lockstep bonus at a certain V2 is typically 100% of base.

Pretty sure the person above you is referring to CravaTTTh, not $$Wachtell$$.

[Anonymous User]

LW?

[Anonymous User]

Goodwin is a little black box but they offer above market depending on combination of reviews and hours. Spread differs year-to-year but this past year you could get up to 1.75x.