Associate Bonus Watch: 3 More Firms Match Simpson

Which Biglaw firms have joined Simpson Thacher in handing out hefty bonus bucks this time?

Another day, another bonus news dump, right in time for turkey day. Simpson Thacher made its announcement on Friday, and several firms were quick to fall in line — including Cravath, the traditional leader of the Biglaw bonus market. We suspect that all other firms will follow suit in due time.

How could it be that bonus season has ended so quickly? Not to worry, because there’s still a faint glimmer of hope: we’ve not yet heard a peep from Sullivan & Cromwell.

Today, though, we’ve got news on some more Simpson supporters. Three firms, one bonus scale — it’s like a dirty, sexy Biglaw porno starring Shearman & Sterling, Debevoise & Plimpton, and Weil Gotshal.

According to tipsters, Debevoise associates received a simple email listing the bonus amounts from presiding partner Michael Blair. You can see that email by flipping through the following pages. Please note that there is no specific payout date for the Debevoise bonuses. This would be a snoozefest but for the money involved.

Next up, we’ve got reports that Shearman will pay its associates on January 15, which seems to be the firm’s standard practice. There’s one caveat to the Shearman bonuses in that they’re not a “true” match to Simpson’s lockstep compensation system. As noted in the memo from global managing partner David J. Beveridge on one of the following pages, “individual bonus amounts will be discretionary, based on performance.” Some lucky associates could get more bonus bucks than their peers.

Last, but certainly not least, Weil Gotshal has matched the Simpson scale, and the firm is making its associates wait with anticipation until January 30 for their hard-earned bonus dollars. Just think, last year the firm was conducting mass attorney layoffs, and now the partnership is doling out six figures to some of its most seasoned associates who survived the cuts. That’s karma for you. Flip through the following pages to see Weil’s bonus memo.

Again, if your firm announces, email us or text us at (646) 820-8477. Please remember to send the actual bonus memo if you can. We really appreciate your bonus tips, and we love to hear your reactions. We’ll keep you anonymous, so don’t worry. Thanks!

Sponsored

(If you’re interested, you can flip through the following pages to see the bonus announcements from Debevoise & Plimpton, Shearman & Sterling, and Weil Gotshal.)

Sponsored


Bonus Time

Enter your email address to sign up for ATL's Bonus & Salary Increase Alerts.