Boutique Law Firms

Big-Time Bonus Bucks For Associates -- Or Maybe Not?

This firm was offering associates much more money this time last year...

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The Cravath compensation scale isn’t just for Biglaw firms. Elite litigation boutiques are more than happy to show their associates the money. As we head into the third day of bonus season, we’ve already seen two boutique firms that have either matched or exceeded the current market compensation dictated by Cravath.

Today, we’ve received word on yet another boutique firm that will be paying big-time bonuses to its associates — bonuses that come in addition to generous bonuses that associates received this past summer when the firm adopted the $190K salary scale.

The firm in question is Greenberg Gross, which at this time last year was beating the market on bonus compensation. This year, the firm is doing a straight Cravath match. Bonuses at Greenberg Gross will be paid to associates on January 15, 2019. In case you’ve somehow managed to forget, this is what the 2018 bonus scale looks like:

Class of 2018 — $15,000 (pro-rated)
Class of 2017 — $15,000
Class of 2016 — $25,000
Class of 2015 — $50,000
Class of 2014 — $65,000
Class of 2013 — $80,000
Class of 2012 — $90,000
Class of 2011 — $100,000
Class of 2010 — $100,000

We wonder why Greenberg Gross isn’t offering extra bonus cash to its associates this year — especially when its managing partner took the time to discuss some of the firm’s “notable achievements” (read: multimillion-dollar victories) in his bonus announcement. That’s just cold. But, money is money, so congratulations nonetheless!

That’s our take on associate bonuses from Greenberg Gross. If you’re a lawyer at the firm, what do you think? Feel free to let us know how you feel by email, by text message (646-820-8477), or by tweet (@ATLblog). A fun or insightful response — we’ll keep you anonymous — could find its way into an update to this story.

(Flip to the next page to see the Greenberg Gross bonus memo.)

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Remember: as soon as your firm’s bonus memo comes out, please email it to us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Bonus”). We always keep our sources on bonus stories anonymous. There’s no need to send the memo using your firm email account; your personal email account is fine. Please be sure to include the memo as proof; we like to post complete bonus memos as a service to our readers. You can take a photo of the memo and attach as a picture if you are worried about metadata in a PDF or Word file. You can also text us if you prefer, at 646-820-8477.

And if you’d like to sign up for ATL’s Bonus Alerts, please scroll down and enter your email address in the box below this post. If you previously signed up for the bonus alerts, you don’t need to do anything. You’ll receive an email notification within minutes of each bonus announcement that we publish. Thanks!

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked 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.

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