After boutique firm Vartabedian Hester & Haynes offered summer bonuses and midsized firm Otterbourg joined the fun, we wondered if the Biglaw bonuses would eventually follow.
The answer is yes… at least at Milbank.
Earlier today, the firm announced that it would be paying out special bonuses to associates and counsel across its global presence. Hey, lawyers have to pay for all that Trump tariff inflation starting today too!
Milbank has taken a lead on attorney compensation for a while now, causing ripples in the old guard “wait and see” approach in Biglaw by issuing earlier bonuses and even cost of living adjustments to keep its team properly valued.
Will the rest of Biglaw follow? Despite the follow-the-leader nature of an industry in a constant pitch battle for talent, firms have left Milbank hanging on compensation moves in the past. Hopefully this is one of those times where the industry pitches in.
This can take a little of the sting out of working for a firm that promised Trump $100 million in free legal services.
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Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.