Summer bonuses aren’t regular occurrences in Biglaw the way year-end ones are — no one is banking on these things coming through. But there is enough of a precedent that when times are good, hope is sparked and the rumor mill gets to churning. Now the numbers for 2023 are in — and Biglaw, especially at the top, had a good year. So we *know* associates are wagging their tongues and wondering if they’ll be getting a summer surprise.
As we assess whether 2024 will be a big summer bonus moment, it’s worth it to look at the recent past. In 2022, the summer bonus news was paltry, but not nonexistent. They also happened in 2019, and a bunch of firms gave out summer bonuses (along with raises) in 2018. Right now, the tippy top of Biglaw is pulling away from the pack and a healthy round of summer bonuses would be another distinction for the best firms.
So, what’s going on at at your firm? If your firm announces summer bonuses, please let us know ASAP, so we can shout the news from the rooftops — maybe get a real bonus party started.
Remember everyone, we depend on your tips to stay on top of this stuff. So when your firm matches, please text us (646-820-8477) or email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Summer Bonuses”). 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’ll 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.
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 Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.
