This Firm Is Handing Out Bonuses On Top Of Bonuses For Associates Who Billed Their Butts Off
Special bonuses are hours-based at this firm, but extra special bonuses are also available for the highest billers.
Thanksgiving has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean that law firmsare done stuffing associates’ bank accounts with cold, hard cash. Firms big and small are still matching Milbank’s generous year-end bonuses and special bonuses. When will your firm make its announcement?
The latest firm that’s awarding bonuses to hardworking associates is New York mainstay Seward & Kissel, a firm that’s graced the city that never sleeps for nearly 135 years. Here’s what the bonus grid looks like at S&K for eligible associates (i.e., those with 2,000 hours, of which 1,850 must be billable hours and 150 are “qualified” non-billable hours):
- Class of 2023 – $20,000
- Class of 2022 – $30,000
- Class of 2021 – $57,500
- Class of 2020 – $75,000
- Class of 2019 – $90,000
- Class of 2018 – $105,000
- Class of 2017+ – $115,000
Seward & Kissel is also matching the Milbank special bonus scale, but these are specifically tied to billable hours — associates must have 2,200 total hours, with at least 1,850 billable hours and 150 qualified non-billable hours:
- Class of 2023 – $6,000
- Class of 2022 – $10,000
- Class of 2021 – $15,000
- Class of 2020 – $20,000
- Class of 2019 – $25,000
- Class of 2018 – $25,000
- Class of 2017+ – $25,000
Associates who “substantially” exceed the eligibility requirements for special bonuses at the firm may receive an “increased” special bonus.
Congratulations to everyone at Seward & Kissel!
Remember everyone, we depend on your tips to stay on top of compensation updates, so when your firm announces or matches, please text us (646-820-8477) or email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Bonus/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 your help!
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 X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.
