Biglaw bonus season has been rolling on for about a month now, and we can tell that there’s some discontent among the ranks of associates. While associates at many firms will take home up to six-figure sums of bonus cash, associates at other firms will receive significantly less money. There is anger afoot, and we’ve received complaints.
This associate has a bone to pick about Sidley Austin’s new bonus structure:
The “individualized” bonus email is a red herring. They said at the town hall meeting that the firm will retain its requirement to bill a minimum of 2000 hours to earn any bonus (note the “general eligibility criteria” mentioned in the e-mail). All this appears to be very off-market compared to peer firms, the majority of which do not have any minimum billable requirements, and many associates are pissed / anticipating to be pissed. They stated at the town hall that 560 associates are getting a bonus, and there are about 1100 total associates, which is roughly only 50-60%.
Meet Me At ILTACON: Opus 2 And AI Workbench
Swing by Booth 800 for a look at the latest in AI-powered case management.
This Bryan Cave associate is right to be miffed about the firm’s overly complex — and in many cases, overly undermarket — bonus system:
Reaction amongst a few of us here — unhappy we’re not even close to the Cravath scale (in bonus or in salary) despite merger talks with BLP heating up.
Who else out there knows the holidays won’t be happy (at least money-wise)? Drop us an email and let us know — please feel free to vent to us. Funny, biting, or otherwise interesting responses may be published on Above the Law — anonymously, of course.
Skills That Set Firms Apart
Legal expertise alone isn’t enough. Today’s most successful firms invest in developing the skills that drive collaboration, leadership, and business growth. Our on-demand, customizable training modules deliver practical, high-impact learning for attorneys and staff—when and where they need it.
Staci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.