Elite Litigation Boutique Wows With Year-End Bonuses That Exceed Biglaw
These are some very generous bonuses.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Kalpana Srinivasan, Co-Managing Partner
Susman Godfrey LLP
310.789.3106
Vineet Bhatia, Co-Managing Partner
Susman Godfrey LLP
713.653.7855
Susman Godfrey Gives Associates Market-Leading Bonuses, Welcomes Seven New Partners Across All Four Offices
HOUSTON, LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK, SEATTLE (December 12, 2022)—Susman Godfrey has elected to partner all seven associates in its 2022 partnership class. In recognition of the enormous contributions of all associates to the firm’s success this year, Susman Godfrey also announced year-end bonuses that far surpass those paid by the nation’s largest law firms.
The seven new partners come from each of the firm’s four offices and, like all Susman Godfrey associates, completed one or more federal clerkships.
They will join Susman Godfrey’s equity-only partnership as full equity partners.
The firm’s new partners are:
- From Houston: Sy Polky, Alejandra Salinas
- From Seattle: Kemper Diehl
- From Los Angeles: Halley Josephs, Rohit Nath, Nick Spear
- From New York: Beatrice Franklin
Susman Godfrey also announced bonuses that topped the market. This year the median bonuses per class significantly exceeded the rates set by large law firms.
The median 2022 bonus for each partnership class at Susman Godfrey is:
|
2022 |
$170,000 |
|
2023 |
$155,000 |
|
2024 |
$140,000 |
|
2025 |
$135,000 |
|
2026 |
$115,000 |
|
2027 |
$90,000 |
Associates with particularly high hours received increased bonus amounts.
Susman Godfrey awards year-end bonuses based on partnership class rather than graduation year from law school. 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:
|
2014 |
$160,000 |
|
2015 |
$155,000 |
|
2016 |
$147,500 |
|
2017 |
$140,000 |
|
2018 |
$112,500 |
|
2019 |
$95,000 |
|
2020 |
$85,000 |
Earlier in 2022, Susman Godfrey announced significant increases to its base salary compensation for associates.
In addition to associate bonuses, the firm also provided year-end bonuses for every single one of its other 173 employees – part of the firm’s philosophy of sharing in its success with everyone who contributes to it.
Managing Partners Kalpana Srinivasan and Vineet Bhatia said the following about today’s announcement: “We are extremely fortunate to have had a strong financial year and thrilled that our firm can continue to expand its partnership along with our growing business. We have exceptional associates, and we are delighted that we can reward them for their hard work and critical contributions to our firm’s success.”
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ABOUT SUSMAN GODFREY
Susman Godfrey is a nationwide law firm of 150 trial lawyers. We handle high-stakes litigation in a broad range of practice areas and industries, for both plaintiffs and defendants. We are creative in finding the fee arrangement—contingent, flat, hourly, or hybrid—that best suits a client’s case. With a relentless focus on winning at trial, Susman Godfrey has been ranked by Vault as the #1 litigation boutique in America for 12 consecutive years. Visit susmangodfrey.com to learn more about our unique approach to winning cases.
