Biglaw and boutique firms alike continue to match — and in some cases, offer cash in addition to — Milbank’s generous year-end and special bonuses. The latest firm to announce bonuses is coming in over the top of Milbank’s largesse — way, way over the top.
Elite trial boutique Elsberg Baker & Maruri was founded less than one year ago, when David Elsberg, a founding member of Selendy Gay Elsberg, announced that he was leaving the elite boutique to start his own firm, Elsberg Baker & Maruri, in partnership with his former Quinn Emanuel colleagues, Rollo Baker and Silpa Maruri.
The firm has already achieved remarkable success, and to that end, Elsberg Baker & Maruri recently announced bonuses that are 175% above the 2024 scale that was set by Milbank. “We are excited to have raised the bar for 2024 associate bonuses above the standard set by Biglaw and by elite trial boutiques,” Elsberg said. Check out the firm’s bonus scale, below.
| Class Year | Special Bonus | Year-End Bonus | Total Bonus |
| 2024 | $6,000 | $26,250 | $32,250 |
| 2023 | $6,000 | $35,000 | $41,000 |
| 2022 | $10,000 | $52,500 | $62,500 |
| 2021 | $15,000 | $100,625 | $115,625 |
| 2020 | $20,000 | $131,250 | $151,250 |
| 2019 | $25,000 | $157,500 | $182,500 |
| 2018 | $25,000 | $183,750 | $208,750 |
| 2017+ | $25,000 | $201,250 | $226,250 |
Elsberg went on to praise the firm’s associates, saying that they’ve “performed brilliantly” this year, and going on to note that “[e]ach and every member of our close-knit associate team deserves to share in the successes they have created through their unwavering support for one another and our clients, showing up again and again with their fierce intellects, tenacity and good humor to deliver outstanding results in a busy inaugural year that has exceeded our very ambitious expectations.”
Congratulations to everyone at Elsberg Baker & Maruri!
(Flip to the next page to see the firm’s memo 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 Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.