This Firm Gave Associates A Big Raise AND A Big Bonus!
Wow, associates at other firms must be jealous.
Boutique law firms continue to blow Biglaw firms out of the water when it comes to giving their hard-working associates the raises they deserve. Case in point: Wilkinson Walsh & Eskovitz, a D.C.-based litigation boutique that’s existed for only five months, has decided to increase associate salaries.
Founded by Beth Wilkinson (formerly of Paul Weiss), Alexandra Walsh (formerly of Paul Weiss), Sean Eskovitz (formerly of Munger Tolles), Brian Stekloff (formerly of Covington & Burling), Brant Bishop (formerly of Kirkland & Ellis), and recently joined by Lori Alvino McGill (formerly of Quinn Emanuel), the little law firm that could has only 20 attorneys total, and 12 of them are associates — which serves their goal of “train[ing] and empower[ing] the next generation of younger lawyers” quite well.
According to a memo sent to associates earlier this month from Stekloff on behalf of the partners, the firm will be instituting Cravath-level salary matches, and will also be raising counsel salaries. But wait, there’s more! Check out this exciting excerpt from the Wilkinson Walsh memo (the full memo is available on the next page):
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[W]e want to thank all of you again for joining us in this exciting venture. Today is our 5-month anniversary and we have achieved more than we ever expected in that short amount of time. As a thank you, we also want to give you a portion of your bonuses for the year early. Therefore, as an early bonus, each of you will receive $10,000 as part of your July 15 paycheck.
A mid-year bonus on top of a big raise is enough to make any Biglaw associate jealous. Here’s what a tipster had to say: “People here are incredibly happy about the quality of work we’re receiving, the fact that we get to work with the best trial attorneys in the business, and the compensation — this is an awesome place to work.” Congratulations to all Wilkinson Walsh & Eskovitz associates! It sounds like you’ve got it made.
Remember, we are covering this trend extensively, so please drop us a line — text (646-820-8477) or email (subject line: “[Firm Name] Matches Cravath”) — when you know of another firm making a compensation move. Please include the memo if available. You can take a photo of the memo and send it via text or email if you don’t want to forward the original PDF or Word file. All sources are kept strictly confidential.
(Flip to the next page to see the full Wilkinson Walsh & Eskovitz salary increase memo.)
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Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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