W&C recruiting reputation is going downhill IMHO. It took forever to increase the salary and the bonus isn't much. I heard they won't pay SCOTUS clerkships (thus, SCOTUS clerks go to Latham, Hunton, etc.).

8:29: Federal district or circuit court.

Any word on the clerkship bonus at Wiley?

8:33: my take is that W&C doesn't feel they need to play the same salary game to compete for the people that they want. I'm in the midwest, but I've worked with W&C and they impress the hell out of me. I can't say the same for most top firms I've worked with.

I really do love money.

White Girls With Asian GIRLS!

Where is WSGR?

8:45--I agree. But do you have any thoughts on if (or when) W&C will suck it up and raise salaries to compensate for the lack of year-end bonus?

8:45 / 9:26

I think the same of W&C - however, I still think they will have to raise at some point. Yet, it seems to me that a salary raise would have been appropriate at the same time as a bump in the clerkship bonus. In a way, it seems odd the two didn't go hand in hand.

Who knows, perhaps W&C _isn't_ planning on raising this year.

Any W&C associates out there want to pipe in?

9:33-
9:26 here. I agree that the fact that W&C didn't raise at the same time they raised the clerkship bonus is very bad news indeed. For a firm that considers these things rarely, would have made sense to do them together

Lat-

Is the Orrick clerkship bonus the same firmwide?

8:45: Wiley raised its clerkship bonus to $35K a while back.

List of Shame

KIRKLAND: $35k when top firm market is $50k.

I'm an associate at W&C. We are all bewildered by the lack of movement from the partnership on salaries; we're assuming it will happen in time for August/September recruiting, but I agree with 9:38 that the timing of the increase in clerkship bonus doesn't augur well.

10:09 - Latham should be even more ashamed than Kirkland.

King & Spalding's bonus is depressing -- maybe time to reinterview after my clerkship

Clerkship Bonuses (as of 7/18/07)

The $50k List (* denotes $50k/$70k):
2. Cravath*
3. SullCrom*
4. Skadden*
5. Davis Polk
6. STB
7. Cleary
9. Weil*
12. Paul Weiss*
13. Debevoise*
20. OMM
21. White & Case
23. MoFo
25. Ropes & Gray (NY only)*
29. Fried Frank
37. Wilkie Farr
54. LeBoeuf*
55. Cahill
NR. Patterson Belknap

The LIST OF SHAME:
1. Wachtell ($0)
8. Latham ($35k)
10. Kirkland ($35k)
11. Covington ($35k outside NY)
14. Wilmer ($35k)
15. Shearman ($15k)
16. Sidley ($35k)
17. Williams & Connolly ($35k)
18. Gibson ($35k)
19. Arnold ($15k $35k)
22. Jones Day ($35k)
24. Hogan ($35k)
25. Ropes & Gray ($35K outside NY but $70K for 2yr clerkship)

10:17 -- thanks for the input! Bewildering indeed.

10:22

You should re-interview . . . it's a bad sign when a firm lags behind market rates. I'm considering re-interviewing over the next two months if my firm (one of Latham, Kirkland, and Gibson) doesn't step up.

King & Spalding reneged my offer after I took a two year clerkship saying they could not keep on offer open for two years!

So what do people think the chances are that Latham will "really" match (read: no $35k + bar stipend fluff, but true $50k) OMM on the clerkship bonus (and when)?

10:42: they have to. I'd expect them to match in the next week or two. They quickly matched OMM's salary increase, didn't they?

10:42 - Agreed, LW should match, but I've heard a lot of clerk applicants got pushback when they asked LW about raising to $50k originally. They were told that LW really believed that their $35k + stipend was the exact same thing as $50k, so LW may still think they're not below market. Of course, they were actually below market, but maybe that mindset may change. . .

I would be shocked if OMM does not also give a 12-15k stipend.

OMM pays a $10k bar stipend and $500 travel stipend to all incoming recent law school grads and clerks. So by LW's logic, I guess OMM pays a $60.5k clerkship bonus.

Any news on Stroock or Schulte (at 10K and 15K respectively)? How far down the "Top 100" should clerkship bonuses be expected to trickle? Should all firms paying the market 160K be expected to raise clerkship bonuses as well?

Assume I worked a year, took the bar, and then clerk---a commonly occuring path these days. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but as I interpret Latham's "clerkship bonus" terms, I would only receive $35k because I have already taken the bar on another firm's dime. If this is correct, then Latham is (perhaps intentionally) dissuading clerk's with any work experience prior to clerking from applying, as they could receive an additional $15k from a REAL $50k-bonus firm.

I thought most clerkship bonuses are for those coming straight from school/clerking. Typically they are not available for people who work then take a year to clerk

You know, I'm pretty disappointed by Latham. It's one thing to be on the list of shame and pay below market clerkship bonuses. It's an entirely different thing to deliberately thumb your nose at incoming clerks, telling them that they're getting a $48,000 bonus or whatever because you're including a stipend. Ridiculous.

And yes, OMM pays a bar stipend too.

12:38 -- most firms pay the clerkship bonus to clerks who have already worked. LW is cheaping out.

any ideas what baker botts' clerkship bonus is for a state clerkship?

LIST OF SHAME

Reed Smith - nationwide
$20 fed app / $15 fed dist / $10 top state

Tough for a large firm - $30+ under market. Suggests how much talent is really valued.

Stroock, Schulte, Reed Smith, Shearman, Wachtell, Arnold . . . someone should tell these value-driven firms that they're only as hot as the company they keep. It's seems somewhat exploitative for multimillion dollar firms to reap the clerkship-developed advantage at the expense of young associates or recruits.

Dear Latham,

Please, for the love of Billing, match market in clerkship bonuses. It would be much appreciated. Please don't be the putz on the playground.

Love, all future and current clerks

Shouldn't Quinn be publicly shamed here?

If they are such militant compensationistas, why are they still at $35K? Federal clerkship > EE degree.