Ever since Biglaw bonus season started — and now that even more money is headed associates’ way thanks to the latest salary wars — we’ve been thinking of law firm support staff and wondering what their fate may be as money continues to rain down upon associates.
Thanks to the coronavirus crisis, the past few years have been incredibly difficult for everyone. It remains important to remember that Biglaw is not made of attorneys alone. It takes an army for law firms this large to run, and the behind-the-scenes battalions of staff members deserve their due, too. That said, many firms have gone out of their way to show their support staff that they truly matter — with cold, hard cash, of course.
The latest firm to say thank you to staff is Sheppard Mullin.
Late last week, Sheppard Mullin staff members were notified that they, too, would be receiving regular bonuses and special bonuses. Here’s an excerpt from a memo sent by chief operating officer Ted Tinson:
Our Firm has always shared success with our staff – indeed it takes our whole village to support 1.5 mm billable hours on 34,000 legal matters. To recognize the staff contribution to our 2021 effort, the Executive Committee has approved our Profit Sharing Bonus payment at the maximum 200% (two weeks’ pay). An additional Staff Special Bonus of another 1⁄2 week’s pay was also approved. So each staff member should be receiving in today’s paycheck an amount equal to 2.5 weeks’ pay (prorated for a partial year for newer folks).
Thanks everyone for a wonderful effort in 2021! Let’s look forward to working together in a strong 2022…
Congratulations to everyone at Sheppard Mullin!
How has your firm rewarded staff during these unprecedented times?
(Flip to the next page to see the memo from Sheppard Mullin.)
Remember everyone, we depend on your tips to stay on top of important bonus updates, so when your firm matches, please text us (646-820-8477) or email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] 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.
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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.
