The Biglaw Firm That Kicked Off 2020's Special Bonus Craze Is Back With Even MORE Money

Great news! Hooray!

Way back in September 2020, when Biglaw firms were busy rolling back their COVID austerity measures, one firm decided to offer a sign of hope for all associates. After surviving salary cuts, furloughs, and sometimes even layoffs, their firms really did appreciate all of the hard work they were putting in during the pandemic.

Cooley — a firm that hadn’t announced any compensation cuts — stepped up and offered special bonuses ranging from $2,500 to $7,500 for all associates and counsel. Of course, Davis Polk upped the ante (just like the firm did this spring), but Cooley deserves all the credit in the world. Now, the firm is here to match Davis Polk once again. Here’s what the scale looks like at Cooley:

These special bonuses will be paid out to eligible associates and counsel who are on track to hit 1950 or more creditable hours in 2021, measured pro rata on May 30 and August 31 for June 30 and September 30 pay dates. Those who miss the June payment will be eligible to receive the September payment if they hit the required hours. As noted in the memo, these bonuses are “in addition to, and will have no bearing on [the] year-end merit bonus.”

Congratulations to everyone at Cooley! Once more, this is very exciting news for the firm that was bold enough to start a bonus trend during a pandemic.

(Flip to the next page to see the full memo from Cooley.)

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.

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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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