Biglaw

Great Bonuses At A Great Trial Firm

The top bonuses exceeded $200,000 -- wow!

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Susman Godfrey, a leading litigation boutique with a colorful history, was recently dubbed “America’s leading trial firm.” And there’s no doubt that Susman Godfrey is in the top tier — especially when it comes to associate bonuses.

When we reported on the 2016 SG bonuses, we shared the minimum amounts. This year, we have the median amounts, which are arguably more revealing. From the firm:

Susman Godfrey announced today that in recognition of its associates’ outstanding efforts and the firm’s extremely successful year, its associates would receive bonuses that far exceed what has become known as the “Cravath scale.” With some adjustments based on quantity and quality of work, the median 2017 bonuses for each class of Susman Godfrey associates are:

Class of 2015: $45,000
Class of 2014: $85,000
Class of 2013: $100,000
Class of 2012: $120,000
Class of 2011: $150,000
Class of 2010 (or earlier): $170,000

Two associates received additional bonuses in recognition of their success in business development that brought their total bonuses to more than $220,000.

Wow. By way of comparison, the top bonus on the 2017 Cravath scale is $100,000, or less than half the top bonus at Susman Godfrey.

Erica Harris, Susman Godfrey’s current recruiting partner, said that “when you hire the very best associates, you get the very best performance, and just like Susman Godfrey partners, our associates are rewarded for performance.” Steven Sklaver, the firm’s partner in charge of practice development, added that “2017 has been another fantastic year for the firm, and our tradition is that our associates share in the firm’s success.”

Sharing the work and sharing the rewards are hallmarks of Susman Godfrey’s teamwork-oriented model. Congratulations to both the firm and its associates on a superb 2017.

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Earlier: A Deep Dive Into The History Of One Of America’s Premier Law Firms

DBL square headshotDavid Lat is editor at large and founding editor of Above the Law, as well as 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 dlat@abovethelaw.com.

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