Since we broke the news of the market bonus scale for associates at large law firms in the United States — a trend that was started by Baker McKenzie on Wednesday, November 11, 2020, and finally followed by Cravath on Monday, November 23, 2020 (with the addition of special bonuses) — many firms quickly fell in line and matched the scale. When will your firm announce its bonuses?
As usual, we are compiling a table of all the firms that have already matched the new bonus scale, whether special bonuses are or were included, the minimum hours required to receive those bonuses (if available), and the date those bonuses will be paid. Today, we unveil that table for your viewing pleasure. We will be updating this table on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times, as news on bonuses is announced. If you see any information here that is incorrect or needs clarification, let us know.
Help us help you now (and if/when you decide to make a lateral move in the future). Let us know what your firm’s minimum billable hours targets are for bonus eligibility and when your firm will pay those bonuses. You generally must remain at your firm until the payout date to receive them, as stated in most memos, which could make it all the more difficult for you to leave your place of employment.
As a little reminder, we love covering the Biglaw bonus season, but we need your help. As soon as your firm’s bonus memo comes out, please email it to us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Bonus”). We always keep our sources on bonus stories anonymous. There’s no need to send the memo using your firm email account; your personal email account is fine. Please be sure to include the memo as proof; we like to post complete bonus memos as a service to our readers. You can take a photo of the memo and attach as a picture if you are worried about metadata in a PDF or Word file.
Don’t forget, if you’d like to sign up for ATL’s Bonus Alerts, please enter your email address in the box below. 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. Cheers to a happy bonus season, everyone!
| Firm | Date Matched | Special Bonuses Matched | Minimum Hours | Payout Date |
| Baker McKenzie Class of 2019: $15K Class of 2012+: $100K |
FIRST MOVER November 11, 2020 |
No | None | TBA |
| Cravath Class of 2020: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2013: $100K |
November 23, 2020 | Yes | None | December 18, 2020 |
| Paul Weiss Class of 2020: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2013+: $100K |
November 23, 2020 | Yes | None | December 18, 2020 |
| Cleary Class of 2020: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2013+: $100K |
November 24, 2020 | Yes | None | December 22, 2020 |
| Skadden Class of 2019: $15K Class of 2013+: $100K or $110K |
November 24, 2020 | Yes | 1800 “productive hours”; additional $10K bonuses available for Class of 2014+ for “extraordinary performance” | December 18, 2020 |
| Milbank Class of 2020: $15K Class of 2012: $100K |
November 24, 2020 | Yes | None | On or before December 31, 2020 |
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 Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.