Two Elite Firms Make It Rain Bonus Money For Their Hardest Workers
This is what we love to see. Well done!
(Image via Getty)
Ever since Biglaw special bonus season started, we’ve received a slew of emails from law firm support staff wondering what their fate may be as money continues to rain down upon associates. 2020 was an incredibly difficult year for everyone, and while 2021 may be a little easier, we’re still living in unprecedented times. It remains important to remember that Biglaw is not made of attorneys alone. After all, it takes an army for law firms this large to run, and the behind-the-scenes battalions of staff members deserve their due, too. That said, many firms have gone out of their way to show their support staff that they truly matter.
The latest firms to dip into their pockets to say thank you to staff are Sheppard Mullin and Paul Hastings. Exciting news for everyone!
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Last week, Sheppard Mullin offered special bonuses to associates, and earlier this week, staff members were notified that they, too, would be receiving bonuses. Here’s an excerpt from a memo sent by chief operating officer Ted Tinson:
As the Firm has been busy, indeed, you all have been working hard. Whether you are working from home, or are part of the crew that keeps our offices running smoothly, there has been much to do. To recognize the contributions our staff has been making, the Executive Committee has approved a Staff Special Bonus of one week’s salary, payable in June. This bonus will be paid to all salaried staff and paralegals. Recipients must be active and in good standing on June 24th and payday for the bonus will be June 25th.
Thanks for all you do, folks. Stay safe, get yourselves and family members vaccinated when you are able. Step by step, a new workplace experience will come (back) to our life patterns!
Back in March, Paul Hastings offered special bonuses to associates, and just yesterday, staff members found out that they would also be receiving bonuses. Here’s an excerpt from a memo sent by chairman Seth Zachary and managing partners Greg Nitzkowski and Ronan O’Sullivan:
As an expression of our gratitude, we are pleased to announce that a $1,500 (or equivalent in local currency) Appreciation Bonus will be paid later this month to eligible business professionals, including regular full and part-time support staff, paralegals, other timekeepers, London and Hong Kong trainee solicitors and China Advisors. This is in recognition of the work that is being done each and every day to make our Firm great and an acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication that is being asked of team members to build on and strengthen our position in the market. …
We thank you for your commitment to excellence and greatly appreciate your contributions to the success of the Firm.
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Congratulations to everyone at Sheppard Mullin and Paul Hastings!
(Flip to the next page to see the memos from Sheppard Mullin and Paul Hastings.)
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!
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Staci 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.
