Biglaw

Top 25 Biglaw Firm Makes Associates Very Merry With Big Holiday Bonus Checks

Associates at this firm will have some happy holidays indeed!

money bonus A red gift box with hundred dollar billsThe winter holidays are just around the corner, but Biglaw firms still have ample time to give their associates the greatest gift of all: More money. Which firm is the latest to let its attorneys unwrap cold, hard cash?

That would be Sullivan & Cromwell. After bringing home $1,864,290,000 gross revenue in 2023, the firm came in at No. 24 in the most recent Am Law 100 ranking. S&C has now spoken out on year-end bonuses. The firm doesn’t publish memos related to compensation, but instead sends out individualized links to its attorneys. According to our sources, the firm is following the market and matching Milbank’s generous year-end and special bonuses. Here’s what the bonus scale looks like at SullCrom:

  • Class of 2024 – $15,000 / $6,000
  • Class of 2023 – $20,000 / $6,000
  • Class of 2022 – $30,000 / $10,000
  • Class of 2021 – $57,500 / $15,000
  • Class of 2020 – $75,000 / $20,000
  • Class of 2019 – $90,000 / $25,000
  • Class of 2018 – $105,000 / $25,000
  • Class of 2017+ – $115,000 / $25,000

Bonuses at the firm will hit bank accounts on December 23. Congratulations to all Sullivan & Cromwell associates!

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 ZaretskyStaci 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 BlueskyX/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.