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Featured Job Survey: Bar Expenses, Signing Bonuses and Advances (Part Two)

Last week, we posted Part One of the results from our ATL / Lateral Link survey on bar stipends and reimbursements, salary advances, and signing bonuses, and covered the range of firms from Akin Gump to Drinker Biddle. We got quite a few tips in response, as well as one of my favorite comments of the week:

Nooooo. I need to know about firms in the ‘W’s! I hate waiting.

Find out whether today’s installment will get far enough to satisfy our poor reader at Weil, WilmerHale, Wachtell, Winston, or Whatnot … after the jump.

But before we get there, let’s quickly review what we said about the table last week:

The table below shows four things for each firm:

  * how the firm helps new associates with bar exam expenses (reimbursement of actual expenses or a fixed stipend),

  * whether the firm pays new associates a signing bonus or graduation bonus (not counting clerkship bonuses, which are discussed elsewhere),

  * whether the firm provides salary advances (i.e., loans) in any particular amounts, and

  * whether the firm provides a pro-rated bonus (a “stub bonus”) for the period between your start date and the end of the year first year.

As always, please send us a tip if any of the details about your firm are missing or wrong or fraught with nuance. (Or, if you’re going to be at this week’s NALP conference in Toronto, feel free to say hello in person.)

And now, that introduction aside, read on to see the second batch of results from our ATL / Lateral Link survey on bar stipends and reimbursements, salary advances, and signing bonuses, after the jump.

Update: An updated, extended version of this table is now here. Click on over to see if we made it to Latham, MoFo, Wachtell, or $190K.

And, of course, if you’d like to add, update, or clarify any details about your firm please send us a tip.

Bar Expenses, Starting Bonuses, and Advances By Firm - Akin Gump to Kirkland & Ellis

FirmBar Exam Stipend or ReimbursementSigning or Graduation BonusSalary AdvanceStub Bonus
Akin Gump - DCBarBri and PMBR
Exam fees
$7,500 stipend
None.None.$1,000
Akin Gump - Houston$3,000 stipend$11,000None.None.
Allen & OveryBar review course
Exam expenses
None.$12,000$8,750*
Alston & BirdBarBri (direct billing)
Exam fees
Hotel
None.$7,500None.
Arnold & Porter$6,000 to $12,000 stipendNone.$0 to $7,000None.
Baker & Hostetler - DC$3,000 stipend$5,000None.None.
Baker & Hostetler - NY$5,000 stipendNone.None.None.
Baker & McKenzie - Dallas$5,000 stipend$10,000None.None.
Baker & McKenzie - NY$5,000 stipendNone.$5,000$8,000
Baker & McKenzie - Palo Alto$15,000 stipendNone.None.None.
Baker BottsBarBri and PMBR
Exam fees
Hotel
$5,500 signing bonus
$5,000 graduation bonus
None.None.
Balch & BinghamNone.$5,000$10,000None.
Ballard Spahr$5,000 stipendNone.None.None.
Berenbaum, Weinshienk & EasonNone.None.None.None.
BinghamBarBri (direct billing)None.$10,000None.
Blank Rome - NY$6,000 stipendNone.None.None.
Blank Rome - Philadelphia$5,000 to $8,000 stipendNone.None.None.
Boies, Schiller and FlexnerBarBri (direct billing)
Exam expenses
None.$10,000None.
Bracewell & GiulianiNone.$10,000None.None.
Bryan Cave - DCNone.None.$10,000None.
Bryan Cave - NY$0 to $3,000 stipendNone.$10,000None.
CadwaladerBar review course
Exam expenses
Travel
None.$7,000 to $10,000$0 to $18,000*
Cahill Gordon & ReindelBar review course
Exam expenses
Travel
None.$7,000 to $10,000$0 to $11,000
Chadbourne & ParkeBar review course
Exam expenses
Travel
None.$10,000$9,400*
Chapman and Cutler$12,000 stipendNone.$3,000None.
Cleary GottliebBar review course
Exam expenses
Travel
None.$10,000$10,000***
Clifford ChanceBar review course
Exam expenses
Travel
None.$10,000$0 to 5,000
Cole, Scott & KissaneNone.None.None.None.
Cooley GodwardBar review course
PMBR
Exam expenses
Hotel
$18,461.54 stipend**.
None.case by caseNone.
Covington & Burling$8,000 stipendNone.None.None.
CravathBar review course
Exam expenses
Travel
$3,000$7,000 to 8,000$7,500 to $10,000
Davis PolkBar review course
Exam expenses
Travel
None.$7,000 to $8,000$0 to $13,000*
DebevoiseBar review course
Exam expenses
None.$10,000$0 to $12,000
Dechert - NJ$8,000 stipendNone.None.$3,000
Dechert - NY & DC$5,000 stipendNone.$0 to $10,000$10,000
Dechert - PA$11,000 to $12,000 stipendNone.None.$0 to $3,000
Dewey & LeBoeufBarBri or Pieper (direct billing)
PMBR (direct billing)
Bar and MPRE expenses
Travel
None.$0 to $10,000$10,000*
Dickinson DeesNone.None.$5,000None.
Dickstein Shapiro$4,000 stipendNone.$5,000None.
DLA Piper - CABar review course
Exam expenses
$15,000 None.None.
DLA Piper - NYNone.None.$10,000None.
DLA Piper - Seattle$12,000 stipendNone.None.None.
Dorsey & Whitney - MNBar review course
Exam expenses
$5,000$5,000None.
Dorsey & Whitney - NY$3,000 stipend$5,000$5,000None.
Dow Lohnes$5,000 stipendNone.$5,000None.
Drinker Biddle & Reath$10,000 stipend
“bar-related expenses”
None.None.None.
Fish & Richardson$10,000 stipendNone.$10,000 None.
Foley & LardnerBar review course
Exam expenses
None.$10,000None.
Fox Rothschild$3,000 stipend$5,000None.None.
FreshfieldsNone.$10,000$10,000 or morePro-rated bonus
Fried FrankBar review course
PMBR
Exam fees
$3,000$10,000$10,000
Fulbright & Jaworski$4,000 stipend$10,000$10,000None.
Gardere$5,000 stipend$5,000None.None.
Gibson Dunn Bar review course
Exam fees
$12,000 to $13,333 stipend
None.None.$0 to $9,000
Goodwin ProcterBar review course
PMBR
Exam fees
None.$5,000$0 to $8,000
Greenberg TraurigNone.$5,000None.Pro-rated bonus
Haynes and Boone$6500$4500None.$5,000
Heller EhrmanBar review course
Exam fees
$12,000 stipend
None.None.None.
Hodgson Russ$5,000 stipendNone.None.$0 to $3,000
Hogan & Hartson$2,000 to $6,000 stipendNone.None.None.
Holland & KnightBar review course
Exam expenses
$5,000None.None.
Holland & Knight - Boston$5,000 stipend$5,000None.None.
Holland & Knight - DC$3,000 stipend$7,000None.None.
Holme Roberts & Owen$5,000 stipendNone.None.None.
Howrey$12,000 stipendNone.$10,000None.
Hughes HubbardBar review course
Exam fees
None.$10,000None.
Hunton & Williams$8,000 stipendNone.$3,000None.
Irell & ManellaBar review course
Exam fees
$15,000 stipend (5 weeks pay)
None.case by casePro-rated bonus*
Jenner & BlockBar review course
PMBR
MPRE Prep
Exam expenses
$13,000 stipend
None.None.None.
Jones Day - Dallas$3,000 stipend$10,000None.None.
Jones Day - DC$10,000 stipendNone.None.None.
Jones Day - NY$6,000 to $8,000 stipendNone.$6.000 to $7,000$0 to $8,000
Jones Walker$3,000 stipendNone.$5,000None.
K&L Gates - NYNone.None.$5,000None.
K&L Gates - SeattleNone.$4,000 to $10,000None.None.
Kasowitz BensonBar review course
Exam fees
None.$5,000 to $10,000$10,000
Katten Muchin RosenmanBarBri (direct billing)
Exam fees
$9,000 stipend
None.None.None.
Kaye Scholer - LANone.None.None.None.
Kaye Scholer - NY$3,000 stipendNone.$5,000$10,000
Keker & Van Nest$10,000 stipendNone.None.None.
Kelly, Hart & Hallman$4,000 stipend$10,000None.$5,000
Kilpatrick StocktonNone.$5,000 to $10,000None.None.
King & Spalding - AtlantaNone.$10,000None.None.
King & Spalding - DC$3,000 stipendNone.$5,000None.
Kirkland & EllisBar review course
Exam fees
$0 to $4,000 stipend
$10,000 bonus***None.Full bonus (based on August year-end)

* Allen & Overy pays a pro-rated bonus based on a $35,000 annual bonus (which would usually work out to $8,750 based on a 1/4 proration).
Chadbourne & Parke pays a pro-rated bonus which would usually work out to $9,400.
Cleary Gottleib and Cadwalader pay a pro-rated “market” bonus which would usually work out to $10,000 at Cleary and ranges up to $18K at Cadwalader (which appears to pay NY market in all offices).
Davis Polk pays a pro-rated bonus based on a $30,000 to $35,000 annual bonus.
Dewey & LeBoeuf pays a pro-rated annual bonus which works out to $5K to $10K in most offices.
Irell & Manella pays a pro-rated bonus based on a $47,500 annual bonus (which would work out to about $12K based on a 1/4 proration).

** Cooley Godward pays “six weeks” salary. This either means $18,461.54 ($160K * 6/52) or $20,000 (three semi-monthly installments of $6,666.67.) Since most people clicked on “$18,000” or wrote in a 6/52 calculation, we’re putting $18,461.54 in the table for now.

*** Katten and Kirkland associates in Chicago may receive more under a PILI fellowship. At Katten, the associates participating in a PILI fellowship will receive an additional $7,000 stipend in May. At Kirkland, associates may opt to take 10 weeks pay under a PILI fellowship instead of the $10,000 signing bonus (which works out to over $30,000).

Stay tuned for the next installment of this table. Will we make it to Pillsbury? Skadden? WilmerHale? Find out next week. In the meantime, please keep those tips, updates and corrections coming!

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