Not every summer bonus announcement comes from a litigation boutique with nine-figure verdicts on the wall. Sometimes it comes from a corporate firm in Coppell, Texas, that represents people buying and selling dry cleaners and HVAC companies.
SMB Law Group — a national corporate firm built by former Biglaw attorneys to serve small and medium-sized business buyers, sellers, and operators — sent associates a memo dated June 30, 2026, announcing a “one-time special summertime bonus” ranging from $10,000 to $25,000. The firm describes the bonus as recognition for “exceptional work, ownership, and client service delivered through the first half of 2026,” and frames it, accurately enough, as consistent with the broader market trend of summer compensation announcements that has been sweeping the legal industry since Milbank raised associate salaries in early June.
To actually qualify for the bonus, an associate needs to be on pace for 2,000 credited hours for the year, measured as of June 30, a notably higher bar than several boutique firms have required for their own summer bonuses this cycle. Associates also need to be actively employed and “in good standing” as of the payment date, and critically, must not have given or received notice of resignation or termination as of that date. So, you know… don’t get any ideas about cashing this check on your way out the door.
The “Bonus Amounts” portion makes clear that hitting 2,000 hours is merely a threshold requirement — it “does not guarantee a particular bonus amount.” The actual number is left entirely to the firm’s discretion, based on a list of factors that includes credited hours, quality of work, responsiveness, judgment, client service, teamwork, reliability, ownership of matters, contribution to firm systems and culture, overall firm performance, and, just in case they missed something, “any other factors the firm deems relevant.” You can read the full memo below.
None of which is to say the bonus itself isn’t real money. $25,000 at the high end is a meaningful number, expected to be paid on or around July 15. Associates billing 2,000-plus hours and doing strong work will get paid for it. The memo is just unusually candid about reserving every possible right while doing so.
Congratulations to the associates at SMB Law Group on the bonus.
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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Bluesky @Kathryn1
