With
Biglaw
bonus
news
sweeping
the
industry,
it’s
easy
for
those
on
the
outside
looking
in
to
feel
left
out.
But
there’s
good
news
for
those
who
aspire
to
clerk
for
federal
judges:
there’s
a
ton
of
money
waiting
for
you
on
the
other
side
of
your
clerkship
—
six
figures
of
it!
—
should
you
decide
to
become
a
Biglaw
associate.
It’s
well
known
that
federal
clerkships
are
incredibly
prestigious
and
highly
demanding,
and
many
high-end
firms
really
want
people
with
that
experience
to
work
for
them.
That’s
why
the
high
end
of
bonuses
for
federal
clerks
who
decide
to
join
Biglaw
firms
post-clerkship
reach
six
figures.
As
of
this
week,
a
leading
law
firm
is
officially
upping
the
financial
ante,
which
other
Biglaw
firms
eager
for
clerk
firepower
may
soon
match
or
even
exceed.
Boies
Schiller
Flexner,
a
litigation-focused
firm
that
brought
in
$246,000,000
gross
revenue
in
2023,
recently
announced
in
its
year-end
bonus
memo
that
it
would
be
offering
a
$150,000
signing
bonus
for
all
federal
district
and
appellate
court
clerks,
or
$175,000
if
the
lawyer
has
completed
multiple
qualifying
clerkships.
The
firm
now
takes
the
lead
among
all
other
Biglaw
firms
and
litigation
boutiques
that
offer
these
high-dollar
signing
bonuses
to
former
federal
clerks.
So,
why
did
the
firm
increase
its
signing
bonus
for
federal
clerks?
“As
a
disputes-focused
firm,
we
place
a
premium
on
courtroom
experience,
which
makes
attracting
judicial
clerks
a
priority
for
us,”
Matthew
L.
Schwartz,
Boies
Schiller’s
managing
partner
and
chairman-elect,
explained
to
Above
the
Law.
Schwartz
continued,
saying,
“As
a
former
district
and
circuit
court
clerk
myself,
I
know
just
how
valuable
that
experience
is
–
seeing
litigation
of
all
sorts,
being
mentored
by
a
judge,
observing
how
lawyers,
judges,
and
juries
approach
cases.
We
operate
at
the
top
of
the
market
in
terms
of
the
complexity
of
the
disputes
we
handle,
which
requires
recruiting
and
retaining
the
best
talent.”
Schwartz
previously
noted
that
having
former
judicial
clerks
among
their
ranks
provided
a
“competitive
advantage”
to
the
firm.
“Although
compensation
is
only
one
reason
why
a
young
lawyer
should
want
to
start
his
or
her
career
at
BSF,”
he
tells
Above
the
Law,
“we
want
to
make
sure
we
are
compensating
judicial
clerks
for
their
experience.”
So,
which
other
firms
are
offering
six-figure
bonuses
to
former
clerks?
Cravath
offers
clerkship
bonuses
of
$125,000,
while
those
who
have
completed
a
clerkship
of
two
years
or
two
one-year
clerkships
will
receive
a
bonus
of
$150,000.
Susman
Godfrey
offers
$125,000
for
one
clerkship,
and
$150,000
for
two.
Quinn
Emanuel
has
a
clerkship
bonus
of
$125,000
for
a
single
year
of
clerkship
experience,
with
an
additional
$25,000
if
the
applicant
completes
a
second
qualifying
clerkship.
Hueston
Hennigan pays
$125,000
to
former
clerks,
while
Robins
Kaplan offers
$100,000 bonuses
to
former
federal
clerks.
Fish
&
Richardson
made
headlines
with
an impressive
number
to
former
clerks ($115,000),
but
that
only
applies
to
folks
with
Federal
Circuit
experience
and
it
requires
two
years
of
service
as
a
clerk. Munger
Tolles
pays
a
bonus
of
$80,000
for
a
single
federal
clerkship,
and
$105,000
for
those
with
two
federal
clerkships
under
their
belt.
With
the
rush
on
top
talent
on
what’s
shaping
up
to
be
a
hot
lateral
market,
what
are
the
other
firms
waiting
for?
Don’t
they
want
to
capture
some
of
the
magic
that
former
federal
clerks
can
offer?
If
you
have
information
about
any
firm’s
clerkship
bonuses,
you
should
email
us or
text
us
(646-820-8477)
with
all
the
details.
Thanks.
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.
