Biglaw
may
seem
like
the
place
to
be
when
it
comes
to
high
salaries
and
even
higher
bonuses,
what
with
Milbank’s
generous
year-end
and
special
bonus
scales,
but
once
again,
it’s
time
for
us
to
consider
elite
boutique
law
firms.
We’ve
got
another
bonus
from
a
boutique
that
absolutely
blows
away
the
current
market
standard.
Susman
Godfrey
has
entered
the
scene
to
wow
its
associates
—
and
the
market
at
large,
to
be
frank
—
with
its
astounding
bonus
scale.
We’re
told
that
these
numbers
exceed
the
prevailing
market
scale,
including
base
and
special
bonuses.
This
year,
the
firm
is
sharing
bonuses
with
associates
that
reach
a
median
of
$260,000
by
graduation
year.
For
purposes
of
comparing
Susman
Godfrey
associate
bonuses
to
those
of
law
firms
that
award
bonuses
based
on
class
year,
here
are
the
firm’s
median
bonuses
by
graduation
year:
Again,
these
are
the
median
bonuses,
but
given
that
the
most
junior
associates
($110,000)
are
earning
slightly
less
than
the
most
senior
associates
on
the
Milbank
scale
($115,000),
you
know
it’s
been
a
good
year
at
Susman
Godfrey.
For
the
sake
of
comparison,
the
standard
market
bonus
for
the
Class
of
2020
is
$75,000,
with
an
additional
special
bonus
of
$20,000
($95,000
total),
meaning
Susman
is
giving
associates
at
least
$60,000
more.
That’s
a
pretty
great
payday.
The
firm’s
managing
partners,
Vineet
Bhatia
and
Kalpana
Srinivasan,
had
this
to
say
about
the
good
news:
“Susman
Godfrey
enjoyed
another
extremely
successful
year.
We
also
hit
a
pivotal
moment
in
exceeding
for
the
first
time
100
partners.
Our
strong
partnership
and
deep
bench
of
talent
continue
to
position
us
to
handle
the
most
complex
cases
against
the
most
formidable
adversaries
across
the
nation.”
The
prestigious
firm
also
announced
its
new
partnership
class,
adding
seven
associates
eligible
for
election
to
its
full
equity
ranks.
You
can
read
the
firm’s
announcement
on
the
next
page.
Congratulations
to
both
the
firm
and
its
associates
on
a
fantastic
year!
(Flip
to
the
next
page
to
read
the
firm’s
bonus
press
release
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 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.
