I was a bit surprised earlier this month when I learned that WilmerHale and one its top partners, Jamie Gorelick, are representing Jared Kushner, in connection with nepotism and conflict-of-interest concerns related to his serving in the administration of his father-in-law, Donald Trump. Although WilmerHale has some prominent conservatives in its ranks, its overall reputation is left of center — thanks in part to prominent partners like Gorelick, a top official in the Justice Department during the Clinton Administration (and someone who surely would have snagged a major post in a second Clinton Administration, had she wanted one).
But at the end of the day, a client is a client — and people go to WilmerHale precisely in order to work on sexy, headline-making matters like the Kushner case. And we suspect that Kushner is paying the firm handsomely for its effort (well, at least if he’s better than his father-in-law when it comes to paying legal bills).
Paying clients are what make bountiful bonuses possible. WilmerHale bonuses are out, and we’re hearing good things. For example:
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- “Lockstep NY salary and bonus at Wilmer, in non-NY office. Midlevel to senior associate. Same hours requirement as last year. I’m pleased in light of mid-year base salary increase.”
- “It’s market bonuses for anyone who made hours at least in the D.C. office. Bonuses to be paid on January 31. Associates are happy.”
It’s possible that the folks we’re hearing from are non-representative, but assuming they are a fair indication of associate sentiment, it seems that WilmerHale lawyers are pleased to be rid of “merit-based compensation.”
No muss, no fuss: lockstep base salaries on the market scale, and market-level bonuses for everyone meeting their hours. It’s an easy way to keep associates happy, especially if they’re pleased with the other aspects of the firm, such as their cases and colleagues.
UPDATE (1/26/2017, 10:09 a.m.): It turns out that some WilmerHale lawyers received above-market bonuses. A tipster explains:
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1. A third of bonus-eligible attorneys got above market bonuses, apparently. So while we’re lockstep, it seems like we also have the benefit of “merit-based” without as many downsides — and we must have had a good year.
2. The email explicitly said that awarding above market is not intended to incentivize working extra hours, but rather to recognize and express gratitude for the personal sacrifice made when unexpected client needs arise. I do think some got extra even without far exceeding the minimum hours.
I’m sure it might sound like bulls**t to an outsider, but I believe these two pieces of info are very good signs for the firm and another step away from the more opaque merit-based comp model it used to follow. That they awarded above-market bonuses to a third of us and explicitly addressed their intentions is really appreciated and hopefully a good sign going forward.
Congratulations to WilmerHale associates on the nice bonuses!
There are, by our count, still a fair number of firms that haven’t announced 2016 bonuses yet. As soon as your firm’s bonus memo comes out, please email it to us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Bonus”) or text us (646-820-8477). 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.
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David Lat is the founder and managing editor of Above the Law and the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Newark, New Jersey; a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at [email protected].