Exciting News: Biglaw Firm Showers Associates With Special Spring Bonuses – Above the Law

It
may
be
February,
but
at
least
one
Biglaw
firm
is
already
thinking
of
the
brighter
days
yet
to
come
by
announcing
special
bonuses

and
the
most
surprising
thing
about
this
is
that
Milbank

isn’t

the
firm
that’s
leading
the
pack
on
this
round
of
bonuses.

Which
highly
profitable,
IP-focused
law
firm
just
announced
spring
bonuses
for
both
associates
and
counsel?

California-based
Knobbe
Martens

a
firm
that
brought
in
$275,000,000
gross
revenue
in
2023,
putting
it
at
No.
135
on
the
most
recent
Am
Law
200

 is
offering
attorneys
up
to
$25,000
to
thank
them
for
helping
the
firm’s
business
grow
and
flourish.
Tipsters
tell
us
that
the
firm
delivered
the
good
news
on
Valentine’s
Day,
so
they
must
have
felt
especially
loved.
This
is
what
the
bonus
scale
looks
like
at
the
firm:

1st-year
associates
$2,500
2nd-year
associates
$5,000
3rd-year
associates
$10,000
4th-year
associates
$15,000
5th-year
associates
$20,000
6th-year
associates
and
above
(including
counsel)
$25,000

Associates
in
good
standing
at
the
firm
will
receive
their
bonuses
on
March
31.
Congratulations
to
everyone
at
Knobbe
Martens!

So,
what’s
going
on
at
at
your
firm?
If
your
firm
announces
special
spring
bonuses,
please
let
us
know
ASAP,
so
we
can
spread
the
good
news.


(Flip
to
the
next
page
to
read
the
firm’s
memo
in
full.)

Remember
everyone,
we
depend
on
your
tips
to
stay
on
top
of
compensation
updates,
so
when
your
firm
announces
or
matches,
please
text
us
(646-820-8477)
or email
us
 (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Bonus/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
your
help!


Staci Zaretsky




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 BlueskyX/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.

Morning Docket: 02.19.25 – Above the Law

*
KPMG
says
the
era
of
the
Big
Four
displacing
American
law
firm
work
is
just
beginning.
[Bloomberg
Law
News
]

*
Judge
says
DOJ
got
some
‘splainin’
to
do
about
this
Adams
dismissal.
[Law360]

*
Serial
lateral
moves
aren’t
the
dealbreaker
they
once
were.
[American
Lawyer
]

*
Musk’s
lawyers
trying
to
change
Delaware
law
to
authorize
his
pay
proposal
to
pocket
roughly
half
of
the
company’s
assets
as
compensation
for
himself.
[CNBC]

*
Ethics
officials
resigning
in
protest
can’t
be
good.
[Reuters]

*
Remember
when
the
government
made

3-year-olds
defend
themselves
in
legal
hearings
?
It’s
back!
[CBS]

*
Atlanta
continues
its
rise
as
a
Biglaw
hotspot.
[Daily
Report
]

Viral Video Of Sinking Truck Not From Masvingo-Beitbridge Road – Transport Ministry


19.2.2025


2:50

The
Ministry
of
Transport
and
Infrastructural
Development
has
dismissed
claims
that
a
viral
video
showing
a
haulage
truck
sinking
was
filmed
along
the
Masvingo-Beitbridge
Road.


According
to
the
Ministry,
the
incident
actually
took
place
on
the
old
Masvingo
Highway,
near
the
42km
mark,
close
to
Bhati
Shops,
an
area
that
is
not
part
of
the
current
main
road.

In
a
statement,
the
Ministry
clarified
that
the
affected
section
is
a
“strip
road”
leading
to
a
damaged
low-level
crossing
over
the
Tugwi
River,
which
is
no
longer
operational.
The
statement
reads:

The
Ministry
of
Transport
and
Infrastructural
Development
notes
with
concern
a
viral
video
which
is
currently
circulating
on
social
media,
purportedly
showing
a
sinking
haulage
truck
along
the
Masvingo-Beitbridge
Road.

Upon
careful
review,
the
video
depicts
an
incident
on
the
old
Masvingo
Highway,
specifically
near
the
42km
peg,
close
to
Bhati
Shops.

This
section
of
the
road
is
a
strip
road
that
leads
to
a
damaged
low-level
crossing
structure
over
the
Tugwi
River,
which
is
no
longer
in
use.

The
section
in
question
was
allocated
to
Fossil
Contracting,
however,
a
representative
from
Fossil
Contracting
has
denied
that
such
an
incident
occurred
on
their
watch.

Following
a
site
visit,
it
was
confirmed
that
a
single
haulage
truck
was
visibly
stuck
on
the
old
highway.

It
is
important
to
note
that
this
section
of
the
road
is
not
part
of
the
current
detour
along
the
Masvingo-Beitbridge
Highway.

Further
investigations
revealed
that
the
truck
driver
was
attempting
to
reconnect
to
the
existing
highway,
bypassing
the
detour.

We
urge
the
public
to
exercise
caution
and
rely
on
verified
information.
The
relevant
authorities
are
conducting
further
investigations
to
ascertain
the
full
details
of
the
incident
and
to
ensure
the
safety
of
all
road
users.

For
updates
and
official
statements,
please
refer
to
the
appropriate
government
or
contractor
communications.

Post
published
in:

Featured

Man murders wife, uncle and cousin and buries bodies in rubbish pit

HARARE

Police
are
investigating
three
murders
in
Hurungwe,
Mashonaland
West,
believed
to
be
the
work
of
a
suspect
who
is
now
in
custody.

Trymore
Tore,
37,
of
Mubairacheni
Village
under
Chief
Chundu
is
accused
of
burying
at
least
two
of
the
bodies
in
his
rubbish
pit.
A
third
was
found
covered
with
tree
branches.

Police
were
called
to
the
village
on
February
17
after
a
woman
reported
that
Tore
had
attempted
to
rape
her.
The
police
investigation
quickly
turned
into
a
murder
probe
after
three
bodies
were
found.

Police
said
Tore,
who
had
a
history
of
abusing
his
wife
Moline
Chibayanzara,
21,
got
into
another
heated
argument
with
her
on
the
evening
of
February
15.

Tore’s
uncle
Kuwesi
Masau,
53,
visited
the
couple
on
the
following
day
and
tried
to
counsel
them.

According
to
police,
sometime
that
afternoon
Tore
asked
his
13-year-old
cousin
who
is
a
neighbour
to
go
to
several
homesteads
in
the
village
and
borrow
a
shovel,
but
he
was
unsuccessful.

When
the
boy
returned,
he
found
Tore
filling
up
his
rubbish
pit
with
a
hoe
but
thought
nothing
of
it.

At
around
5PM
on
February
16,
another
of
Tore’s
cousins
and
neighbour
Anety
Nabwalo,
17,
visited
him
intending
to
watch
movies
and
was
never
seen
again.

Villagers
began
searching
for
the
missing
trio
late
that
night
into
the
morning
of
February
17
when
a
female
villager
confronted
Tore
and
accused
him
of
having
knowledge
of
their
disappearance.

Pleading
his
innocence,
Tore
asked
the
woman
to
accompany
her
to
see
a
prophet.
On
their
way,
he
allegedly
attempted
to
rape
her
and
she
escaped
before
calling
police.

A
police
statement
said:
“On
the
same
day
ZRP
Chundu
Base
attended
the
scene
and
searches
were
conducted
in
the
village.

“Nabwalo’s
body
was
found
covered
with
branches
in
a
bush
about
60
meters
from
her
homestead
and
beside
the
body
was
a
knife
and
a
pair
of
black
panties.”

The
rubbish
pit
was
dug
up
and
the
remains
of
Tore’s
wife
Chibayanzara
and
his
uncle
Masau
were
uncovered.

Tore
faces
three
counts
of
murder.

ZACC quiz for top lawyer Wilson Manase over ‘abuse’ of deceased estate

HARARE

Top
lawyer
Wilson
Manase
was
last
Wednesday
picked
up
by
the
Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption
Commission
(ZACC)
over
alleged
abuse
of
a
deceased
estate,
ZimLive
has
learnt.

Manase
was
leaving
the
Harare
Magistrate
Court
where
he
is
embroiled
in
another
matter
of
abuse
of
estate
property.

His
arrest
comes
after
the
late
businesswoman
Jane
Maisiri’s
son,
Tongai
Mhlanga,
filed
a
complaint
against
him
alleging
that
as
an
executor,
he
had
failed
to
account
for
some
of
the
estate’s
property.

Manase
was
at
the
court
to
attend
to
a
case
in
which
he
is
accused
by
Langton
Nyatsambo
on
allegations
that
he
abused
his
wife,
the
late
Fiona
Shadaya’s
estate.

Manase
allegedly
forged
divorce
papers
to
claim
that
Nyatsambo
and
Fiona
were
already
divorced
at
the
time
the
latter
died.
This
was
done
to
ensure
that
Nyatsambo
could
not
benefit
from
the
deceased
estate.

The
top
lawyer
claims
that
he
was
given
the
divorce
documents
by
the
late
Fiona’s
father,
Marshal
Shadaya.
However,
Shadaya
is
denying
ever
giving
him
the
papers.
Instead,
he
claims
that
it
was
Manase
who
gave
him
the
papers.
The
two
will
testify
on
the
forged
divorce
documents.

The
case
number
on
the
divorce
certificate
was
later
established
at
the
High
Court
to
belong
to
a
certain
white
couple,
according
to
Nyatsambo.

Fiona
died
in
2009
and
since
then,
her
estate
has
not
been
winded
up.
Several
properties
have
already
been
disposed
of
by
Manase,
but
Nyatsambo
claims
he
has
not
received
anything
realised
from
the
sale.

In
papers
to
the
Master
of
the
High
Court,
Manase
said
the
value
of
the
deceased’s
estate
was
about
US$1.5
million,
but
in
papers
before
the
High
Court,
he
estimates
the
same
to
be
close
to
US$5
million.

He
also
claimed
in
papers
at
the
Master
that
he
has
claimed
executor
fees
of
US$80,000
but
at
the
High
Court,
the
figure
is
about
US$320,000,
according
to
Nyatsambo.

On
Wednesday,
when
Manase
was
picked
up
by
ZACC,
Nyatsambo
was
surrounded
by
police
officers
who
wanted
to
arrest
him
over
an
undisclosed
complaint
that
Manase
had
reported
against
him.

ZACC
picked
Manase
to
answer
to
charges
of
abusing
the
estate
property
by
selling
and
renting
out
properties
of
the
late
Maisiri
without
consulting
her
family
members.

He
was
allegedly
not
remitting
the
funds
to
the
beneficiaries,
and
failed
to
account
for
money
in
Maisiri’s
offshore
account.
He
also
allegedly
gave
one
of
Maisiri’s
houses
in
Eastlea,
Harare,
to
his
son.

Mhlanga
also
alleged
that
Manase
has
been
collecting
rentals
from
various
properties
that
belong
to
the
estate
over
the
years,
and
failed
to
account
for
the
funds.

Complaints
against
Manase
are
before
the
Law
Society
of
Zimbabwe,
which
regulates
the
conduct
of
lawyers.

Manase
denies
wrongdoing.

Mnangagwa hopes to buy more time as he insists no plan to stay in office past 2028

HARARE

President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
on
Monday
insisted
that
be
will
leave
office
as
planned
when
his
second
and
final
term
expires
in
2028
as
he
sought
to
tamper
rising
anger
over
a
push
by
some
of
his
loyalists
to
amend
the
constitution
to
scrap
presidential
term
limits.

Mnangagwa
used
a
meeting
with
selected
editors
on
Monday
to
restate
that
he
had
no
ambitions
of
either
extending
his
term
beyond
2028,
or
seeking
a
new
term
after
controversial
constitutional
amendments.

He
said:
“I’m
very
clear
that
I
have
two
terms,
and
these
terms
are
very
definite,
and
I
am
so
democratic.
When
they
come
to
an
end,
I
will
step
aside
and
my
party
will
elect
my
successor.
That
is
as
clear
as
day.

“Those
who
have
other
imaginations,
it’s
a
democratic
society
for
people
to
dream,
but
facts
will
carry
the
day.”

A
breakaway
group
of
war
veterans
have
demanded
Mnangagwa’s
immediate
resignation,
and
some
of
Mnangagwa’s
loyalists
opposed
to
the
constitutional
amendment
have
warned
that
the
push
for
him
to
stay
on
now
posed
a
national
security
threat.

It
was
Mnangagwa’s
office,
not
the
ministry
of
information,
which
made
a
round
of
calls
to
editors
inviting
them
to
the
event
at
State
House.

Information
minister
Jenfan
Muswere
and
information
secretary
Ndavaningi
Mangwana,
two
of
the
biggest
agitators
for
the
constitutional
amendment,
were
noticeably
absent
from
the
briefing.

“It’s
not
imaginable
that
there
is
anybody
in
the
country
who
can
push
me
(to
seek
a
term
extension).
I
am
very
solid.
I
have
always
said
I
am
a
constitutionalist,
I
have
my
two
terms
when
they
come
to
an
end,
the
country
and
the
party
will
move
on
by
electing
my
successor,”
Mnangagwa
said.

He
will
“persuade
the
persuaders
not
to
persuade
me
so
that
I
remain
constitutional,”
he
added.

It
was
not
clear
if
Mnangagwa’s
comments,
coming
a
day
after
he
returned
from
an
African
Union
summit
in
Ethiopia,
will
mollify
his
critics
and
quieten
rising
discontent
even
within
Zanu
PF
ranks.

His
ambitious
deputy
Constantino
Chiwenga
has
shown
increasing
impatience,
and
recently
made
pointed
comments
at
corrupt
businessmen
linked
to
Mnangagwa
who
have
thrived
through
corruption.

Mnangagwa’s
supporters,
in
response,
used
an
event
at
the
National
Heroes
Acre
to
sing
songs
denouncing
the
retired
general.

Mnangagwa
was
asked
about
the
disrespect
directed
at
his
deputy.

“The
foolish
and
the
wise
both
have
their
day,”
he
replied.
“I
think
those
who
really
are
Zanu
PF
at
heart
go
by
the
rules
and
decorum
of
Zanu
PF.
We
have
other
people
who
are
in
Zanu
PF,
who
in
themselves
are
not
Zanu
PF,
but
they
dress
in
Zanu
PF
regalia,
so
you
must
always
see
when
people
talk
and
see
which
camp
they
belong
when
they
open
their
mouth.”

Former
Zanu
PF
political
commissar
Saviour
Kasukuwere,
now
a
fierce
Mnangagwa
critic
from
self
exile
in
South
Africa,
said
the
82-year-old
was
trying
to
buy
time
for
his
beleaguered
presidency.

He
compared
Mnangagwa’s
news
conference
to
his
predecessor
Robert
Mugabe’s
“Asante
Sana”
moment,
hours
before
the
military
ousted
him
in
a
coup
in
2017.

“He’s
buying
some
breathing
space.
A
revolution
is
not
staged
in
instalments.
He
knows
the
right
thing
to
do.
Step
down,”
Kasukuwere
wrote
on
X.

Mafume convicted, fined for lying to Commission over home address

HARARE

Harare
mayor
Jacob
Mafume
was
Tuesday
convicted
and
handed
a
wholly
suspended
sentence
for
lying
about
his
residential
address
when
he
appeared
recently
before
the
Commission
of
Inquiry
into
the
Harare’s
administrative
affairs.

The
Justice
Maphios
Cheda
led
Commission
found
the
opposition
official
guilty
of
lying
under
oath.

While
under
questioning
by
the
Commissioners
recently,
Mafume
claimed
he
was
temporarily
residing
at
number
110
Coronation
Road
in
Greendale,
Harare.

He
had
told
Commissioners
he
moved
out
of
his
private
family
home
in
Belvedere
to
allow
renovations
on
the
property
to
make
it
suitable
for
a
student
accommodation
facility.

However,
when
Commissioners
visited
his
said
residential
address,
they
found
an
undeveloped
property
belonging
to
one
Peter
Pfukwa.
The
decoy
home
was
being
used
as
a
vehicle
auction
site.

The
Commission
found
the
CCC
official
guilty
of
breaching
Section
13
of
the
Commissions
of
Inquiry
Act
following
the
misleading
information.

He
was
sentenced
to
pay
a
fine
of
$300
or
serve
3
months
of
imprisonment
with
labour.

The
sentence
was
wholly
suspended
on
the
condition
that
he
does
not
commit
the
same
offence
again
within
the
next
5
years.

“The
Commission
imposes
the
following
sentence
on
you;
that
you
Mr
Jacob
Mafume
you
are
sentenced
to
pay
a
fine
of
$300
or
three
months
in
prison
with
labour
which
is
wholly
suspended
for
5
years
on
condition
that
during
that
period
you
are
not
convicted
of
contravening
sections
13
or
14
of
the
Commissions
of
Inquiry
Act
which
upon
conviction
and
sentence,
you
are
sentenced
to
a
period
of
imprisonment
not
exceeding
US$300
or
three
months
imprisonment,”
the
Commission
said.

In
mitigation,
Mafume
had
proffered
his
“heartfelt
apologies
to
the
Commission
for
the
misleading
information”.

He
prayed
for
a
reprimand
instead
which
he
said
will
serve
the
justice
of
the
case.

Mafume
said
he
is
a
“lawyer
of
standing”,
a
family
man
with
two
children,
and
has
served
the
city
for
a
considerable
amount
of
years
as
both
councillor
and
mayor.

He
also
said
he
owned
two
vehicles,
a
property
which
he
co-owns
with
his
wife.

In
pronouncing
sentence,
the
Commission
said
it
had
taken
his
mitigation
into
consideration.

OK Zimbabwe adopts new procurement strategy to ease stock shortages

HARARE

OK
Zimbabwe
Limited
is
working
to
restore
normal
stocking
levels
before
the
end
of
the
financial
year
through
new
procurement
models
and
support
from
supplier
partners
and
financial
institutions,
the
retail
giant
said
in
a
trading
update
on
Friday.

“The
business
has
begun
restocking
the
operating
units
with
support
from
supplier
partners
as
well
as
financial
institutions
that
continue
to
assist
with
short-term
funding
structures,”
said
Group
Company
Secretary
Margaret
Munyuru
in
a
trading
update.
“New
alternative
procurement
models
have
been
developed
which
include,
but
are
not
limited
to,
a
structured
stock
supply
arrangement
with
a
third
party
for
supplier
assurance
purposes.”

The
company
said
the
fortunes
of
Zimbabwe’s
formal
retail
sector
are
tied
to
exchange
rate
stability.
“Consultations
with
both
Fiscal
and
Monetary
Authorities
have
led
to
a
relaxation
of
the
very
strict
policing
of
applicable
in-store
exchange
rates,”
Munyuru
said.
OK
Zimbabwe
welcomed
the
recently
announced
monetary
policy
measures,
which
removed
some
limitations
and
introduced
greater
flexibility
in
the
foreign
exchange
market
but
called
for
“absolute
clarity
on
the
roadmap
towards
a
full
market-determined
exchange
rate
system.”

OK
Zimbabwe
reported
a
36%
decline
in
revenue
for
the
third
quarter
ended
31
December
2024,
attributing
the
drop
to
subdued
consumer
spending,
currency
devaluation,
and
supply
chain
disruptions.

Federal DEI Ban Hits K-12 – See Also – Above the Law

No
More
Room
For
Race
Or
Its
“Proxies”
In
School:
Great
in
theory,
but
how
do
you
prove
compliance?
No
Reaching
Across
The
Aisle:
The
FTC
cuts
ties
with
the
ABA.
Another
Goodbye
To
Beijing:
Biglaw
firm
shuts
a
foreign
office.
Sorry
For
Your
Time:
California
Bar
offers
test
takers
a
refund.
It
Used
To
All
Be
So
Simple:
Rapid
deregulation
under
Trump
is
hitting
corporate
legal
hard.

Do Lawyers Really Love Their Jobs? – Above the Law



Ed.
Note:

Welcome
to
our
daily
feature

Trivia
Question
of
the
Day!


According
to
the
latest
Job
Optimism
report
by
consulting
firm
Robert
Half,
what
percentage
of
legal
professionals
say
they’re
satisfied
in
their
current
job?


Hint:
The
strong
job
satisfaction
means
fewer
people
in
the
legal
industry
are
looking
for
new
jobs

only
25%
of
respondents
say
they
are
looking
for
a
new
role,
down
from
40%
last
year.



See
the
answer
on
the
next
page.