We recently reported on Winston & Strawn making iPhones available for its attorneys. Will other firms follow suit?

Some already have. This morning, Sheppard Mullin announced that it will be "adding the iPhone as a selection in our mobile device program," as of mid-September. Full memo, after the jump.

One firm that's not phalling for the iPhone: Latham & Watkins."Latham isn't going for the new version or the new software," a tipster tells us, "because of a lack of 'whole-device encryption.' They posted [a message] on the Latham [intranet]." That message, also after the jump.

Earlier today, we noted that Debevoise & Plimpton just slipped from the top spot in the American Lawyer's A-List rankings. One Debevoise associate has a solution, proposed in this open letter:

Dear Rick [Evans, Presiding Partner],

By now you have no doubt seen the AmLaw rankings. You will have been as horrified as I to see Debevoise drop from #1, a position it has held for four years now, to #5. More dramatic, though, is the drop in the Associate Satisfaction score -- we shed 90 points out of 200. Luckily, I have an effective, easily implemented solution to offer: iPhones. That's right - iPhones. For just $200/associate, you can infinitely increase our satisfaction, as well as get some great press on Abovethelaw.com.

Think about it, Rick. iPhones. Debevoise can be "that" firm -- you know, the hip, modern, generous, lifestyle-caring-about firm that law students buzz about and want to work for.

Let's reclaim our destiny. With iPhones.

Best,
[redacted]

In other iPhone news, John Carney asks over at our sister site, Dealbreaker: "Has Apple Sold So Many iPhones It Crashed Its System?"

The Sheppard Mullin and Latham iPhone announcements, after the jump.

Let's send you into the holiday weekend with some associate bonus news. Here are some law firm bonus announcements that haven't been previously covered in these pages.

(Firms that previously announced their bonuses, but are being sneaky about the exact amounts and/or the percentage of associates getting them, will be addressed separately. This post is for completely new announcements.)

Some of this news is incomplete. If you can provide more details, please email us. Thanks.

1. Akin Gump (New York): Year-end bonuses, and special bonuses to "those associates and counsel who have performed in accordance with the Firm’s expectations regarding productivity, quality of work and Firm citizenship." Plus "discretionary merit bonuses" to associates and counsel "who performed in a truly exceptional manner."

One source at the firm characterizes it as follows:

Full match in NY, with extra bonuses in certain cases (generally to billers over 2400). There has never been an hours requirement, so if past practice is any indicator, anyone not being fired will get it.

Full memo, after the jump.

2. Akin Gump (outside New York): Each associate is allowed to make the case to the firm for a big bonus. A source tells us that this practice of asking associates to write up memos to justify their bonuses started a few years ago. "I wonder how this plays into the current bonus climate, or if anyone else has to do this."

3. Hogan & Hartson (outside New York): The 2007 bonus memo appears after the jump.

4. Hogan & Hartson (New York): We've confirmed the fact that Hogan announced bonuses in New York. It was described to us as a market match. But we haven't seen a memo or the fine print of the announcement, so we can't confirm that.

Update: The bonus memo for Hogan & Hartson's New York office appears after the jump.

5. Vinson & Elkins (New York): "V&E matched the New York market bonus (including this year's special bonus) for its New York associates, to be paid on January 15, 2008. No memo yet, a voicemail."

6. Sheppard Mullin: Details after the jump.

Some more good news on the associate pay raise front:

1. Kirkland & Ellis: "The Firm Committee has approved increases to our associate base salaries in our California, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. offices, retroactive to May 1, 2007."

So K&E is now on the $160K scale -- not just in California and D.C., which was inevitable, but also in Chicago. Expect the other Chicago shops to follow suit

2. Sheppard Mullin: The firm has raised to the $160K scale in California and Washington. Not super-exciting; but it's always nice to welcome a new member to the club.

Associate pay raise memos from Sheppard Mullin and Kirkland & Ellis, verified by multiple sources at both firms, appear after the jump.

Today has been quiet in terms of associate salary news. Perhaps pay raise developments have been overshadowed by Charney v. Sullivan & Cromwell. Also, since so many places have already announced, it's only natural for the pace to slow down.

But there have been a few new announcements. Per the Daily Report, Holland & Knight has raised its base salary for entering associates to $130K. And there appears to be a Sheppard Mullin memo out, too.

(If you're at the firm, please email us to confirm. A blank email from a Sheppard Mullin address will suffice.)

Update: The Sheppard Mullin memo has been confirmed. We now reprint it after the jump.

Our last comment thread about associate compensation matters appeared before lunch. So here's a fresh one. Have at it!

The latest hike: Holland & Knight to start at $130K [Fulton County Daily Report]

This post has nothing to do with the morbidly obese (which we recently learned is a medical term, not a colorful insult). In fact, they should probably hang a sign out reading, "Fat people need not apply."

"They" refers to Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, which is launching an exciting new practice group: the Fashion and Apparel Team ("FAT"). And if it's anything like the fashion industry itself, a BMI over 20 will kill your chances of working there.

An advertisement the firm ran during New York Fashion Week encouraged people to "Get the skinny on FAT law." Here's what FAT law entails:

From negotiating contracts for TV reality show "Project Runway" to fending off UGG boot knock-offs, the new group is marketing itself as the go-to firm for Los Angeles and New York's booming fashion industries....

So far, the group's clients include Abercrombie & Fitch Stores; Victoria's Secret Stores; Louis Vuitton U.S.; and Gap Inc.

It also is hoping to court celebrity clients who use their famous name to launch their own perfume or clothing line -- such as when pop singer and fashion icon Gwen Stefani launched a clothing line in 2003.

This may strike some of you as yet another dubious new practice group. Is there really that much synergy to be gained through aggregation of fashion-related matters?

But hey, it sure sounds fun. It beats the pants off Global Warming for "coolest newfangled practice niche." And when that associate who really wanted to be in Government Contracts gets stuck in Fashion and Apparel, the partner can superciliously tell her:

"Oh, don't be silly -- EVERYONE wants this. Everyone wants to be US."

Sheppard Mullin Launches Fashion and Apparel Practice Group [The Recorder via Law.com]