Biglaw

Associate Bonus Watch 2019: Bonus Season Is Here!

Wouldn’t it be nice if your law firm gave you a little something extra to be thankful for this year?

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It’s November 1, and Thanksgiving is just a couple of weeks away, which means that bonus season is right around the corner. Wouldn’t it be nice if your law firm gave you a little something extra to be thankful for this year? We sure think it would be! As a little reminder — as if you really needed one — this is what last year’s Cravath bonuses looked 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

For those of you who are wondering when your bank accounts will be a little more flush, here’s a list of the dates when year-end market bonuses hit Biglaw since 2006, the very first year Above the Law started publishing bonus news. Take a look:

With visions of bonus dollars dancing in your heads, it’s time to check in on how people are doing with their billable hours. There are just about eight weeks to go in 2019, and this year, as with every year, hitting your target is very, very important. Some firms might make bank-busting payments that will generate sweet headlines, but not all associates will hit the hours mark necessary for the top payment.

Still, with about two months to go, there’s plenty of time to get on your hours. Now that holiday season is on the horizon, attorneys may start poking around for an extra discrete assignment or two — after all, some hours here and there could mean a world of difference.

So how are people doing? Take our poll, and get a sense of how many hours your peers are on pace to hit in 2019. While you’re at it, let us know when you think this year’s bonuses will drop, and whether they’ll be higher or lower than last year’s bonuses.

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How many hours are you on track to bill in 2019?

  • 2000 - 2099 (19%, 183 Votes)
  • More than 2400 (16%, 162 Votes)
  • 1900 - 1999 (13%, 130 Votes)
  • 2100 - 2199 (12%, 122 Votes)
  • 2200 - 2299 (10%, 99 Votes)
  • 1800 - 1899 (9%, 90 Votes)
  • Fewer than 1600 (7%, 71 Votes)
  • 2300 - 2399 (6%, 63 Votes)
  • 1600 - 1699 (3%, 34 Votes)
  • 1700 - 1799 (3%, 30 Votes)

Total Voters: 984

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When do you think 2019 bonuses will be announced?

  • Last week of November (39%, 130 Votes)
  • Before Thanksgiving (39%, 128 Votes)
  • First week of December (22%, 73 Votes)

Total Voters: 331

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What will 2019 bonuses look like?

  • No change from 2018 bonuses (72%, 287 Votes)
  • Higher than 2018 bonuses (25%, 100 Votes)
  • Lower than 2018 bonuses (3%, 13 Votes)

Total Voters: 400

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Remember everyone, we depend on your tips to stay on top of important bonus updates, so when your firm matches, please text us (646-820-8477) or email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Matches”). 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.

And if you’d like to sign up for ATL’s Bonus Alerts (which is the alert list we also use for salary announcements), 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 for all of your help!

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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