Associate Bonus Watch: Susman Godfrey -- Are These The Best Bonuses Of The Season?

The average bonus at Susman Godfrey exceeded the top of the Cravath scale.

We’re sorry we missed the holiday party of the New York office of Susman Godfrey (which unfortunately conflicted with our own holiday party with our readers). Susman always hosts an amazing event, with abundant alcohol and fabulous food from acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud. And this year the renowned litigation firm had lots to celebrate, at least judging from its gigantic associate bonuses.

“In 2015 we had one of the best years in the history of the firm, and we wanted our bonuses to reflect that success,” said managing partner Stephen Susman. “Two-thirds of our associates received a bonus of more than $100,000. Our smallest bonuses were $55,000, for the most junior associates who were here all year (which at Susman Godfrey starts with the law school class of 2013, because we require all associates to complete at least one federal clerkship). That’s more than double what the big firms paid their 2013 classmates.”

“And even excluding those associates who were up for partner this year (whose total compensation was truly extraordinary, at around half a million dollars each), the bonuses for all other associates ranged as high as $165,000; the median bonus was $118,000; and the average bonus was $110,000. It was a great year to be at Susman Godfrey.”

Indeed. The Susman Godfrey bonuses crush the Cravath scale, where the smallest bonus is $15,000 and the biggest bonus is $100,000 — below the average bonus at Susman. They also compare well against the bonuses at Boies Schiller, another leading litigation firm, which came in at $95,000 on average. So the Susman bonuses, taken as a whole, might be the best bonuses of the season so far.

Are you thinking right now that you’d like a six-figure bonus? Alas, it’s not easy to get hired by Susman Godfrey, which recruits exclusively from the ranks of former federal law clerks (including Supreme Court clerks; a third of the lawyers in the NYC office are former SCOTUS clerks). But if you can land a job at Susman, the rewards are rich indeed.

P.S. For more about the firm’s hiring standards and compensation philosophy, see my 2013 interview with Steve Susman.

Earlier: Associate Bonus Watch (2014): Another Firm Beats The Market!
Associate Bonus Watch (2013): Susman Godfrey
Associate Bonus Watch (2012): Susman Godfrey
Associate Bonus Watch (2011): Susman Godfrey Pays Ten-Gallon Bonuses (and Announces New Partners)

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