Capitalization in the original. All lowercase is very appropriate for the youthful, fun, California-based Quinn Emanuel firm.
—–Original Message—–
From: John Quinn
Sent: Wed 1/24/2007 12:14 PM
To: Associates
Cc:
Subject:
Attachments:
beginning february 1 the firm will match the recently announced increases in base salaries for years 2001 through 2006. incomes of more senior lawyers will be dealt with on a case by case basis, given the firm’s partnership track.
John B. Quinn
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, LLP
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We’ve been DYING for a photograph of Shanetta Cutlar, the Bitch Goddess Chief of the Justice Department’s Special Litigation Section, whom we have written about extensively in these pages. So we were absolutely delighted to receive the photograph at right, which one of you dug up for us on an archived DOJ web page.
As you can see, Shanetta Cutlar is attractive and stylish. We love the combination of the pearl necklace and the pearl-gray pinstripe suit (with hints of purple in the sleeve). Her smooth mocha skin and glossy red lips couldn’t be more alluring. Her hair is fabulous; it looks professionally styled.
Just like Paris Hilton, another one of our favorite women on planet Earth, Shanetta Cutlar takes a great still photograph. We’re reminded of what cosmetics heir and art collector Ronald Lauder recently said, to the New Yorker, about socialite Adele Bloch-Bauer, whose portrait was painted by Gustav Klimt (a portrait Lauder recently bought for $135 million):
“She had a salon, she had a personality, and you can feel that personality. Unlike The Kiss, this is a painting that is alive.”
The same can be said of Shanetta Cutlar. Love her or hate her, the woman has personality. Unlike so many of those “DOJ Official In Front Of A Flag” photos, which are generic and interchangeable, Shanetta’s photo portrait is alive. You can practically hear her yelling at a line attorney for including extra spaces in a document, or upbraiding a summer intern for failing to say hello.
For those of you who are as obsessed with “SYC” as we are, we reprint the text that accompanied this Shanetta-licious image, after the jump.
Yes, the rumors are true: Willkie Farr & Gallagher has raised base salaries for its associates. Here’s the memo:
—–Original Message—–
From: The Executive Committee
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 11:52 AM
To: ASSOCIATES – DC; ASSOCIATES – NY
Cc: PARTNERS – DC + OF COUNSEL; PARTNERS – NY + OF COUNSEL; Danaher, John; Salvatore, Jeanine; Poster, Margaret
Subject: 2007 Associate Salaries
We are pleased to announce that the annual base salaries for associates in NY and DC have been increased, retroactive to January 1, 2007, as follows:
Class of 2006 – $160,000
Class of 2005 – $170,000
Class of 2004 – $185,000
Class of 2003 – $210,000
Class of 2002 – $230,000
Class of 2001 – $250,000
Class of 2000 – $265,000
Class of 1999 – $280,000
Class of 1998 – $290,000
Adjustments will be reflected in your January 31st paycheck. Adjustments for more senior associates and Special Counsel will be determined on an individual basis.
We continue to be extremely appreciative of our associates’ contributions to the Firm which were instrumental in making 2006 another record year for the Firm.
Earlier: Previous announcements of law firm associate salary increases (scroll down through “Skaddenfreude” archives)
We’re having major computer troubles once again. Please bear with us.
If we could post normally, we’d have already written about LeGal bitchslapping John Scheich, the juicy Wall Street Journal article on Sullivan & Cromwell’s troubles (aside from Charney v. Sullivan & Cromwell), and the latest round of associate pay raise announcements.
One of them is Shearman. Hopefully this post will go through (and just once, not twice). Here’s the memo:
From: Rohan S Weerasinghe
Sent by: Halle Schargel
To: [Classes of 2006 through 1994]
Cc: Worldwide – Partners Only
Date: 01/24/2007 11:29 AM
Subject: U.S. Track Associate Salary Increases
2007 Salaries
I am pleased to announce that in addition to the bonuses announced on December 14, 2006, we are increasing salaries for U.S. Track Associates to the following levels:
Class of 2006 - $160,000
Class of 2005 - $170,000
Class of 2004 - $185,000
Class of 2003 - $210,000
Class of 2002 - $230,000
Class of 2001 - $250,000
Class of 2000 - $265,000
Class of 1999 - $280,000
Class of 1998
and above - $290,000
These increases will be retroactive to January 1, 2007 and will be reflected in your February 15, 2007 paycheck. The increases will be paid to those Associates who are in good standing and with the Firm as of February 15. Increases for those Associates who were on a leave of absence, worked part-time or joined the Firm after January 1, 2007 will be prorated.
On behalf of all of my Partners, I want to thank each of you for your contributions, dedication and hard work and, together with your help, I look forward to another strong year.
Earlier: Previous announcements of law firm associate salary increases (scroll down through “Skaddenfreude” archives)
When President Bush delivered the State of the Union last night, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was not one of the four Supreme Court justices in attendance.
Oddly enough, however, Justice Ginsburg and President Bush aren’t as far apart as one might think. They share something in common:
Both Justice Ginsburg and President Bush were cheerleaders!!!
President Bush’s career as a college cheerleader is well-known. But did you know that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a cheerleader too, at Madison High School, in Brooklyn, New York?
We are not kidding. More details available from Ted Frank. It goes without saying that we would LOVE a copy of that yearbook photo.
UPDATE: Alas, the link to Ted Frank’s blog no longer works. But you can read about Justice Ginsburg’s cheerleading career, as well as her other high school activities, over here.
Look, anything is possible. If little Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin) can be a beauty pageant contestant, in Little Miss Sunshine — which just snagged Oscar nominations for Best Picture and for Breslin’s performance, among others — then surely RBG can be a cheerleader.
Justice Ginsburg, cheerleader [Lagniappe / Ted Frank]
* State Farm reaches Katrina settlement. [Jurist]
* What would you buy if you embezzled $6.9 million? [CNN]
* Bush told us what condition our condition is in. [Jurist]
* I guess if you’re a DT for the Bears, the Super Bowl counts as work; judge allows Tank Johnson to play in XLI, but tells him to keep his metaphorical nose clean. [AP via Yahoo!]
* Virginia is for cockfighters. [MSNBC]
We’re signing off for the night. It’s almost time for the State of the Union (9PM Eastern time). We won’t be back online until tomorrow morning.
Feel free to offer your thoughts on Biglaw compensation matters in the comments to this post. For ease of reference, here are the associate pay raise announcements that we’ve collected so far:
– Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
– Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
– Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy
– Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison
– Sullivan & Cromwell
And, of course, the first mover who deserves credit for this largesse:
– Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Enjoy the State of the Union, everyone. See you tomorrow.
(The Wonkette crew is liveblogging the SOTU. And don’t miss their SOTU Drinking Game, which will make President Bush’s speech twice as fun.)
Update (8:50 PM): A shout-out to the lawyers: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is the Cabinet official who has been designated NOT to attend the State of the Union, to ensure the continuity of government in the event that disaster strikes on Capitol Hill tonight.
Earlier: Previous announcements of law firm associate salary increases (scroll down through “Skaddenfreude” archives)
* Whatever the state of the current voting systems for Oscar nominations, at least Ryan Gosling was nominated for Half Nelson. Bleeding-heart inner-city teachers-slash-junkies are hot. Perhaps also a little paternalistic. But still really hot. [Concurring Opinions]
* Joe Francis, scapegoat. No, a martyr even. [AP via Yahoo! News]
* Blogs are like PBS: they need private donations because they only feature pseudo-ads. [TalkLeft]
* E-retailer sales assistant decides to editorialize — and once again, thinking outside the box ends up very, very badly. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
* You can be plenty creepy without violating any child pornography laws… [Althouse; Sex Crimes]
* …and just be a Paris Hilton wannabe, and violate those same laws. [Internet Cases]
As the WSJ Law Blog previously reported, Cleary Gottlieb has joined the club of law firms raising salaries for their associates.
One correspondent of ours at Cleary was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the announcement arrived:
I’m amazed that Cleary has been so quick to react to the change. Cleary is typically more lagging in upping salary in response to market change, but this year pulled it off within 48 hours. Color me impressed.
With apologies for the delay, as well as for various technical difficulties (which have resulted in some comments being posted multiple times), here is the memo:
The Simpson Bump: Everybody’s Doin’ It! [WSJ Law Blog]
Earlier: Previous announcements of law firm associate salary increases (scroll down through “Skaddenfreude” archives)
Apologies for the delay — server problems. Trust us, they’re frustrating us ten times more than they’re frustrating you.
With thanks to the various tipsters who sent it to us (including “Goose”), here’s the memo from Milbank Tweed announcing pay raises for their associates:
MILBANK TWEED HADLEY & McCLOY LLP
From: Wagner, Christine
Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 5:12 PM
To: #Asia Associates All; #DC Associates; #LA Associates; #NY Associates; #LN Associates
Subject: Sent On Behalf Of The Executive Committee
MEMORANDUM TO ASSOCIATES – CLASSES 2006-1999 AND SPECIALS
Re: 2007 Salaries
We are pleased to announce salary adjustments as listed below:
Class of 2006 – $160,000
Class of 2005 – $170,000
Class of 2004 – $185,000
Class of 2003 – $210,000
Class of 2002 – $230,000
Class of 2001 – $250,000
Class of 2000 – $265,000
Class of 1999 – $280,000
These increases are retroactive to January 1, 2007 and will be reflected in February 15 paychecks for those who are in good standing and with us on that date.
2007 salary increases for Specials will be determined on an individual basis this quarter as usual.
We appreciate all your contributions and look forward to another great year.
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Milbank
Christine Wagner
Director of Legal Personnel
Earlier: Previous announcements of law firm associate salary increases (scroll down through “Skaddenfreude” archives)
From an source at Sullivan & Cromwell:
I thought you and your readers would find it interesting to know that H. Rodgin Cohen gave a speech to the Firm yesterday regarding Charney v. Sullivan & Cromwell.
In his speech, Rodge denied every single allegation that “Andrew” made. That’s right, Andrew.
Apparently S&C investigation’s has been so robust that the Firm’s chairman still does not even know the plaintiff’s name.
This must be just another administrative oversight here at S&C.
Our take on this episode is a little different. We see it as compelling proof of the following:
As far as Biglaw partners are concerned, ALL ASSOCIATES ARE FUNGIBLE.
Even associates who sue your ass for discrimination and retaliation, giving rise to a public relations disaster.
Earlier: Skaddenfreude: S&C Says, “Charney Who?”
Prior ATL coverage of Charney v. Sullivan & Cromwell (scroll down)
Sullivan & Cromwell has followed suit. It has tried to distract everyone from the train wreck called Charney v. S&C just announced raises in base salaries for its associates. And its 2007 summer associates will share in the loot, too.
Here’s the memo, from firm chairman H. Rodgin Cohen, which was just sent out by email:
SULLIVAN & CROMWELL LLP
From: Cohen, H. Rodgin
Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 3:59 PM
To: *Associates.Worldwide
Cc: Shenker, Joseph
Subject:
We are pleased to announce that, in addition to the bonuses awarded to lawyers at the end of last year, which ranged from $30,000 for the class of 2005 to $70,000 for the class of 1998, the Firm will be increasing associate compensation retroactive to January 1, 2007.
The new salary range will start at $160,000 for the class of 2006 and move up to $310,000 for the class of 1998. In accordance with our usual practice, each associate will receive individual notification of her or his salary.
In addition, annual base compensation will be increased to $160,000 for new associates arriving with the 2007 incoming class. The weekly compensation for the 2007 summer associate class will also be increased to be based on the new starting annual salary of $160,000.
The Firm is committed to rewarding our lawyers for their contributions to our continued success by maintaining compensation levels, including year-end bonuses, at the forefront of peer firm compensation.
Rodge
Update: According to this comment, the compensation figures for S&C’s most senior classes are as follows: class of 2000, $270K; class of 1999, $290K; and class of 1998, $310K. These amounts are higher than Simpson Thacher’s: class of 2000, $265K; class of 1999, $280K; and class of 1998, $290K.
Earlier: Previous announcements of law firm associate salary increases (scroll down through “Skaddenfreude” archives)
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Ed. note: The Asia Chronicles column is authored by Kinney Recruiting. Kinney has made more placements of U.S. associates, counsels and partners in Asia than any other recruiting firm in each of the past six years. You can reach them by email: asia@kinneyrecruiting.com.
Deal flow has clearly picked recently up for most US associates, counsels and partners in Hong Kong/China and Singapore. We are on the phone with a lot of these folks on a daily basis, many of whom we have known for years. Further, the head of our Asia team, Evan Jowers, and Kinney’s founder and president, Robert Kinney, frequently meet in person with leading US partners in Asia to assess their needs and keep on top of the inside scoop at as many firms as possible. The need for legal recruiting help in Asia from experienced recruiters appears to be live and well. In March, Evan and Robert were in Beijing at such meetings, in April, Evan was in Hong Kong, and for half of June Evan will be in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Thus its pretty easy for us to tell when there has been an across-the-market pick up in capital markets and corporate work.
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