Associate Bonus Watch: A West Coast Player Weighs In

These aren't the biggest bonuses of the season, but associates seem quite content.

Stock photo, but he kinda looks like an Orrick associate, doesn't he?

Stock photo, but he kinda looks like an Orrick associate, doesn’t he?

No, we’re not talking about Latham & Watkins — which has really transcended its California roots to become a global law firm (the world’s top firm by revenue, in fact). But yes, Latham bonuses were announced today, to be paid a week from now, and we’re working on a story. We welcome your information and opinions by email or by text message (646-820-8477).

The firm we are discussing, Orrick, is also a global law firm (and still in expansion mode; howdy, Houston). But it’s still fair to call it a “West Coast player” because it has a major presence in Silicon Valley and San Francisco, and many California firms follow its moves closely.

Orrick announced its bonuses earlier this month, and the news seems to be good. Overall, 84 percent of eligible associates got bonuses this year, up from 73 percent last year, and 41 percent of those bonuses were above-market, up from 30 percent last year.

The full memo is on the next page; page two of the memo is the heart of it:

Orrick 2015 bonus memo 2

These bonuses aren’t the highest we’ve seen this season, but they’re nice. And Orrick associates seem content. Here’s one what said:

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They added two new bonuses this year for firm contribution and business development. These are on top of over market merit bonuses. The result is the potential for hugely over market bonuses. I think they skimped a bit on the higher merit bonuses this year to cover the new categories, but we still come out way ahead of our peers. I have no complaints.

And another:

I spoke with another friend of mine who is a “Managing Associate” and we both got above-market bonuses even though our hours were [under 2200], so we’re both happy.

So that’s what’s up at Orrick. If you have bonus information to share, you know how to find us.

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