The
big
story
of
the
2024
bonus
season
has
been
special…
special
bonuses,
that
is.
Milbank
started
the
Biglaw
ball
rolling
this
summer
with
special
bonuses
(on
top
of
typical
year-end
ones)
ranging
from
$6,000
to
$25,000.
It
took
the
rest
of
the
industry
several
months,
but
now
at
the
end
of
the
year,
*most*
of
the
top
of
the
industry
has
matched
Milbank.
So
it
was
quite
the
surprise
when
top
firm
Hogan
Lovells
didn’t.
But
more
than
just
surprised,
associates
were
pissed.
HoLove
is
historically
a
very
profitable
firm
that
consistently
ranks
as
one
of
the
top
in
the
nation.
To
associates,
the
move
felt
short-sighted
(distinguishing
themselves
from
peer
firms
in
such
an
unflattering
way)
and
cheap
(all
indications
were
that
the
firm
continues
to
be
profitable).
The
good
news
is
the
firm
has
heard
the
associates’
grumblings.
This
morning,
the
firm
sent
out
an
email
(reproduced
in
full
below)
acknowledging
the
discontent.
Thank
you
for
your
candid
feedback
regarding
the
absence
of
a
special
bonus
in
this
week’s
announcement.
It
is
a
fundamental
strength
of
our
firm
that
everyone
in
our
community
provides
such
feedback,
and
we
value
your
perspective
and
input
on
this
and
other
matters.We
have
heard
from
many
of
you
that
leadership
did
not
communicate
effectively
about
this
decision
and
we
accept
this
criticism.
We
acknowledge
that
we
could
have
handled
this
more
effectively.
Listen,
the
surprise
of
it
all
wasn’t
fun
for
associates
—
but
that
wasn’t
the
*problem*.
As
a
tipster
noted,
“Hogan
trying
to
do
damage
control
on
bonuses,
just
making
matters
worse.
The
problem
wasn’t
the
‘communication’
—
it
was
the
amount.”
Richard
Lorenzo,
the
firm’s
regional
managing
partner,
went
on
to
say
the
firm
is
working
on
how
to
“best
to
address
the
concerns
raised
in
a
positive
manner.”
You
just…
give
them
money.
But
I’m
sure
instead
of
just
ponying
up
the
cash,
they’ll
try
to
come
up
with
some
other
ploy
to
try
and
quell
the
discontent.
Hey,
as
long
as
it
doesn’t
result
in
the
bumbling
kidnapping
of
firm
leadership
by
Cousin
Eddie,
it’s
a
success.
Full
memo
below.
Remember
everyone,
we
depend
on
your
tips
to
stay
on
top
of
important
bonus
updates,
so
when
your
firm
matches,
please
text
us
(646-820-8477)
or email
us (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Matches”).
Please
include
the
memo
if
available.
You
can
take
a
photo
of
the
memo
and
send
it
via
text
or
email
if
you
don’t
want
to
forward
the
original
PDF
or
Word
file.
And
if
you’d
like
to
sign
up
for
ATL’s
Bonus
Alerts
(which
is
the
alert
list
we
also
use
for
salary
announcements),
please
scroll
down
and
enter
your
email
address
in
the
box
below
this
post.
If
you
previously
signed
up
for
the
bonus
alerts,
you
don’t
need
to
do
anything.
You’ll
receive
an
email
notification
within
minutes
of
each
bonus
announcement
that
we
publish.
Thanks
for
all
of
your
help!
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].
