Since we broke the news of the market bonus scale for associates at large law firms in the United States — a trend that was started by Baker McKenzie on Monday, November 21, 2022, and finally followed by Cravath on Monday, November 29, 2022 — firms are slowly falling in line to match the scale. When will your firm announce its bonuses?
As usual, we are compiling a table of all the firms that have already matched the new bonus scale, the minimum hours required to receive those bonuses (if available), and the date those bonuses will be paid. Today, we unveil that table for your viewing pleasure. We will update this table on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times, as firms announce bonus news. If you see any information here that is incorrect or needs clarification, tell us.
Help us help you now (and if/when you decide to make a lateral move in the future). Let us know what your firm’s minimum billable hours targets are for bonus eligibility and when your firm will pay those bonuses. You generally must remain at your firm until the payout date to receive them, as stated in most memos, which could make it all the more difficult for you to leave your job.
As a little reminder, we love covering the Biglaw bonus season, but we need your help. As soon as your firm’s bonus memo comes out, please email it to us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Bonus”). We always keep our sources on bonus stories anonymous. There’s no need to send the memo using your firm email account; your personal email account is fine. Please be sure to include the memo as proof; we like to post complete bonus memos as a service to our readers. You can take a photo of the memo and attach as a picture if you are worried about metadata.
Don’t forget, if you’d like to sign up for ATL’s Bonus Alerts, please enter your email address in the box below. 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. Cheers to a happy bonus season, everyone!
| Firm | Date Matched | Minimum Hours | Payout Date |
| Baker McKenzie Class of 2021: $20K Class of 2015+: $115K |
FIRST MOVER November 21, 2022 |
Undisclosed | February 10, 2023 |
| Boies Schiller Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
November 29, 2022 | For market bonuses: 2000-2349 hours for regular bonus; 2350-2599 hours for extraordinary bonus ($30K (pro-rated)-$150K); 2600+ hours for extra-extraordinary bonus ($40K (pro-rated)-$165K)) | December 2022 |
| Cravath Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015: $105K |
November 29, 2022 | None | December 16, 2022 |
| McDermott Will & Emery Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
November 30, 2022 | 2000 hours (“substantial incremental bonuses” for associates who went “above and beyond” in hours and performance; ~65% of associates will earn above Cravath scale) | December 29, 2022 |
| Holwell Shuster Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2016: $105K |
November 30, 2022 | None | On or before December 31, 2022 |
| Skadden Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2016: $105K or $115K Class of 2015+: $115K or $125K |
November 30, 2022 | 1800 “productive hours” (including unlimited pro bono time and up to 150 hours of productive non-billable work) | December 16, 2022 |
| Fried Frank Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 1, 2022 | 1850-1999 hours for up to 25% of full bonus; 2000-2199 hours for full bonus; 2200-2449 hours for full bonus plus 15% premium; 2450+ hours for full bonus plus 30% premium | On or before December 31, 2022 |
| Cleary Gottlieb Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 1, 2022 | None | December 23, 2022 |
| Davis Polk Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | December 30, 2022 |
| Paul Weiss Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | December 22, 2022 |
| Debevoise Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | Undisclosed |
| Baker Botts Class of 2021: $20K Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | December 31, 2022 |
| Paul Hastings Class of 2021: $20K Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | 2000 hours | February 3, 2023 |
| Hogan Lovells Class of 2021: $20K Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | 2000 hours (including up to 150 pro bono hours until associates meet 1850 hours, then unlimited pro bono hours, and including up to 50 D&I hours, if they have billed at least 1800 hours; additional bonuses available for those who exceed hours minimums) | December 30, 2022 |
| Milbank Class of 2022: $15K Class of 2014: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | December 31, 2022 |
| Freshfields Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | December 15, 2022 |
| Ropes & Gray Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015: $115K Class of 2014+: $130K |
December 2, 2022 | 1900 creditable hours (increased bonuses for associates who annualized above hourly target) | December 23, 2022 |
| Willkie Farr Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | December 30, 2022 |
| O’Melveny Class of 2021: $20K Class of 2015: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | February 28, 2023 |
| Wilkinson Stekloff Class of 2022: $22.5K Class of 2015+: $172.5K |
December 5, 2022 | None | December 15, 2022 |
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 Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
