Associate Bonus Watch: What's Been Done at Gibson Dunn?
(Plus a funny farewell email)
We've received a number of inquiries about bonuses at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher (especially in their New York office). This reminded us that we never did a full-blown bonus post about GDC. We merely noted, back in this post, that in the firm's Los Angeles office, they appeared to be paying the standard year-end bonuses (but no special bonuses).
We're not even 100 percent sure of that. And we also don't know what they did in New York. We hear -- through the grapevine, and not confirmed -- that first-years in New York got the standard $35K year-end bonus, and that the class of 2007 associates received a prorated year-end bonus.
So please help us get to the bottom of things. Consider this an open thread for discussion of Gibson Dunn bonuses (similar to yesterday's thread on Jones Day, which generated -- and continues to generate -- vigorous commentary). If you have info on GDC bonuses, please share what you know in the comments.
Update: One source reports:
Gibson's New York office received both the regular and special bonuses. They were paid in one shot on December 20th. The L.A. office did not receive the special bonus.
Also, speaking of Gibson Dunn, we have bonus (non-bonus) content for you: a cute departure email, sent out late last month. Check it out, after the jump.
Prefatory comments, from our source:
Love your blog. First time tipster, long time reader. This is possibly one of the best departure emails I've ever seen (see below). I've redacted some of the identifying information.
We don't know if we'd go that far; we've seen some real duesies doozies in our time. E.g., this one.
But this GDC farewell email is not bad. Check it out, below.
GIBSON DUNN & CRUTCHER -- DEPARTURE MEMO
From: [xxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 8:55 PM
Subject: I'm Sorry, I'm Leaving
Dear Gibson Dunn:
It’s not you, it’s me.
Some sage advice was once (or repeatedly) given to me to “rebalance my pro bono and billable hours,” and the time has come to heed that prophetic guidance and begin a career in the public sector. Starting, um, right now I will be an Assistant United States Attorney for the [xxxx]. It has long been a dream to be a meaningful public advocate in the high pressure arena of the courtroom where access to justice is most urgent and tangible.*
That said, I will certainly miss working at Gibson Dunn. The US Attny's Office does not have an ADR. And it certainly does not have Mexican Days on Thursday or any other day at that nonexistent ADR. Also, I now have to pay for parking. And park outside. At a lot four blocks away (uphill both ways).
Anyway, Gibson was a tremendous place to begin my career and the lessons I learned here will certainly be at the forefront of my mind as I eagerly embrace this next challenge.
As I leave I wanted to be sure to express my extreme gratitude to the each and every staff member I had the pleasure of working with and getting to know as you always were the best at making me feel welcome here. And while of course I could not specifically name every individual who helped me along the way, I do want to thank -- for various reasons but ultimately for having my back -- the following individuals: my assistant [xxxx], my friend [insert assistant's name], and [various lawyers].
My new work contact info will be: [xxxx]
My personal info remains: email: [xxxx], cell: [xxxx], sign: Pisces.
I hope we can still be friends,
[xxxx]
*Yes, that is a line from my cover letter.
Earlier: Associate Bonus Watch: Latham and Gibson, in a Holding Pattern
(46) Comments
HEY LAT - is your new sports & the law writer planing on touching the congressional testimony of Clemens et. al.? C'mon, put that writer to work!
"I hope we can still be friends"?!? Why would moving on to a job cause you to not be friends? What does this say about the firm? I have heard that GDC Washington is a nightmare...this kinda reinforces that (the otherwise flowery but empty language notwithstanding).
What about bonuses at Fenwick and Cooley?
GDC to 190?
12:29,
Stop being so f'ing melodramatic, it was just a throw-away line; obviously the tone of the letter would be much different if the writer thought her departure would cause a problem. I used to work at GDC in NY (it sounds like this person was in L.A.) and am still on good terms with the firm. I don't know what you mean by "nightmare," the D.C. office is heavily Republican, but they don't eat babies or anything.
I'm summering at GDC DC this summer. All the people I met in the D.C. office during my interviews were really nice.
And, just to clarify, I'm not a Republican. (Although I will be if Obama gets the nomination).
"It has long been a dream to be a meaningful public advocate in the high pressure arena of the courtroom where access to justice is most urgent and tangible."
Uhm, wouldn't that "urgent and tangible" "access to justice" problem most affect criminal defendants, rather than the federal government?
12:48: Of course they were nice... they were trying to convince you to join them for the summer, where they will be equally nice. The honeymoon will be over, however, shortly after you return as a 1st year. Don't be so F***ing naive.
12:29 - see the first line "it's not you it's me"
The tone is supposed to be that of a break-up letter. Now do you see why, "I hope we can still be friends," is funny?
You are, no doubt, a humorless transactional minion in some sweatshop of a firm. Otherwise you would have recognized the obvious humor.
Oh, and you're probably a pirate too. NINJAs are smart enough to see the joke.
12:53 -- you'd be surprised. Some of the people I met with at DPW, for example, came off as a-holes even though they were almost certainly trying not to. I think you can get a sense of a firm through interviews.
12:48 --
There's something to what you say. Although firms are almost always nicer in interviews/over the summer, if they can't even be nice in an interview, you know they're real d-bags.
I'm sorry, what are duesies? Are they anything like doozies?
GDC's LA bonuses were worse that OMM's bonuses. I'm lateraling to LW next week.
uphill both ways? the ground shifts while he is at work.
Wachtell to 320.
Someone please explain how that farewell email is remotely amusing? Lat's post is pathetic.
can we be generous and assume that 12:29 was being tongue-in-cheek by reading too much into that last line?
1:16's mom to my house.
Given all the B-O-R-I-N-G and completely unnecessary departure memos I've seen, this one is refreshing.
@ 1:04 - Yes, but duesies are French, doozies are American.
@ 1:11 - it fits with the humorous tone of the letter - now get back to document review before your sense of humor returns!
Do people really liken working as an AUSA to pro bono work?
Does anyone have any hard numbers about Gibson Dunn bonuses (in NY or LA)?
I hate the word "forefront"
is it hard to get an AUSA gig?
keep up the action on the JD thread. that was more interesting that a corny breakup letter.
GDC has been lucky to thus far escape the scrutiny OMM has gotten on this board. Looks like that might be ending...
12:57 - I couldn't agree more about DPW
Is there any doubt that the big three is just a big myth now? OMM and GDC are TTT compared to LW.
1:24, doozie comes from Duesenberg, an Amercan (not French) super-luxury car built in Iowa(!) in the 20s-30s.
As for the topic at hand, you'd think that people would stop sending cutesy firm-wide emails that end up on blogs. Unless they are doing so with exactly that result in mind, which in this day & age is quite possible.
What is the ADR referred to in the letter?
I know first years in LA got 35K and second years 40K. First years were given full bonus for hitting 1950 or above (there were a few small bumps over 2250 and 2400 I believe).
First years were also given full bonus for annualizing hours the second half of the year.
I'm not Democratic but will be if Obama wins the nomination.
3:18,
The ADR is the attorney dining room in the L.A. office. It rocks. Mexican food every thursday.
"the each and every"
I hope you didn't crib that gem from your cover letter, champ.
Honestly, this guy sounds like a giant vag. Just get out, no one cares about your attempt to leave your mark with a witty good-bye. The biglaw wheels will keep turning once he leaves, so who really cares?
God Obama is an awful person. Who writes two autobiographies before they've even accomplished enough to write half of one book? Barack Hussein Obama, that's who.
Always nice to go to a more prestigious job.
I've worked at three different V20 firms, GDC DC has by far been the best - with the best ratio of good people to socially awkward losers, great pay, and a growth strategy that makes me feel comfortable that I won't be lost in a mess of mergers anytime soon. Is the office Republican? Yes, but seeing as the Democrats can't figure out how to win elections that are handed to them I'd rather be working with people who have connections to those in power. Maybe the reason that GDC compensation is not mentioned on ATL as much as OMM or others is that the majority of us are content working here.
GDC loves to hire people from Pepperdine and Southwestern.
GDC loves to hire people from top 10 schools whose GPA's are at or above a 3.8 - and then they whine about the lack of "qualified" applicants.
Great goodbye email. I wish more people would send amusing goodbye emails. It is a welcome break from my otherwise boring job.
GBC (LA) is terrible. That's right, I got less of a bonus than my friends (same year) at OMM and they actually like their co-workers. For all the crap that OMM got, I wish I was there. Just goes to show how wrong gossip usually is.
"GDC" - oops I guess I didn't deserve a bonus, I can't type correctly.
Junior associates made out ok for bonuses. It's the upper years that got screwed. I know of no 6th/7th years in LA who got the 6 figues bonuses handed out at OMM LA and LW LA. This free market assignment system is a crock of shit. Just an excuse for old bigots to avoid working with non-WASPs. How many women/minority partners do you see at GDC who have been around more than 5 years?
Bonuses in DC were decent. Prorated for newbies, 35, 40, 45 for years 1 - 3, and bumps for above 2250 or so. No special bonuses.
YAWN! So tired of hearing the DC office is a "nightmare" and "republican" I'm a flaming liberal democrat as is half the office. If you don't work here you don't have a basis for comment so stop passing on mindless gossip.