Elite Litigation Boutique Offers Mind-Blowing Bonuses That Blow Away The Market
So. Much. MONEY!
Biglaw may seem like the place to be when it comes to high salaries and even higher bonuses, but once again, it’s time for us to consider elite boutique law firms. Yet again, we’ve got a bonus from a boutique that absolutely blows away the current market standard.
Susman Godfrey has entered the scene to wow its associates — and the market at large, to be frank — with its astounding bonus scale. This year, the firm is sharing bonuses with associates that top out at $215,000. Here are this year’s big numbers:
For purposes of comparing Susman Godfrey associate bonuses to those of law firms that award bonuses on law school graduation year, the median bonuses for Susman Godfrey associates by graduation year are:
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| 2013 | $215,000 |
| 2014 | $215,000 |
| 2015 | $202,000 |
| 2016 | $186,000 |
| 2017 | $186,000 |
| 2018 | $115,000 |
| 2019 | $105,000 |
These are the median bonuses, but given that the most junior associates ($105,000) are averaging as much as the second-most senior associates on the Cravath/DPW scale ($105,000), you know it’s been a good year at Susman Godfrey. For the sake of comparison, the standard market bonus for the Class of 2019 is $30,000, meaning Susman is giving associates $75,000 more. Even when considering the addition of a special bonus on top of a market bonus, the Class of 2019 would be bringing home $36,000, meaning Susman is still giving associates $69,000 more than even the most prestigious of Am Law firms. That’s a pretty great payday.
Congratulations to both the firm and its associates on a fantastic 2021.
(Flip to the next page to read the Susman Godfrey bonus press release in full.)
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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.
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