Bonus
time
is
exciting
in
Biglaw,
in
that
there’s
a
lot
of
money
headed
to
associates’
bank
accounts.
But
it
*can*
be
a
little
boring
in
that
after
the
market
rate
(this
year
a
combination
of
year-end
and
special
bonuses)
is
set,
most
of
Biglaw
merely
follows
suit.
But
not
Boies
Schiller.
The
firm,
which
took
in
$387,400,000
gross
revenue
last
year
making
it
118th
on
the
Am
Law
200,
has
its
own
idiosyncratic
method
for
paying
bonuses.
They’re
individualized
at
the
firm,
so
there’s
not
a
handy
schedule
of
bonus
rates
to
share
with
the
world.
But
in
Boies
Schiller’s
firmwide
announcement,
they
do
point
out
some
pretty
impressive
highlights.
The
TL;DR
version
is
that
a
lot
of
associates
at
BSF
are
taking
hone
more
money
than
their
peers
at
other
Biglaw
firms.
- This
year,
more
than
88%
of
BSF
associates
received
a
bonus
that
was
at
least
as
high
as,
and
in
most
cases
higher
than,
what
that
associate
would
have
received
under
the
market
system.
Those
that
did
not,
generally
invested
material
time
on
one
or
more
contingency
cases
that
have
not
yet
paid
out.- Numerous
associates,
including
some
very
junior
ones,
received
bonuses
far
in
excess
of
the
very
top
of
the
market—and
that
includes
the
“super
bonuses”
that
some
other
firms
have
announced.- In
total,
nearly
20%
of
all
associates
received
bonuses
at
or
above
the
very-top-of-the-market
scale—meaning
that
they
got
bonuses
equal
or
greater
to
what
an
8th
year
associate
would
have
gotten
on
the
market
scale.
But
at
BSF,
many
of
the
associates
who
received
those
above-the-top-of-the-market
bonuses
were
far
more
junior
including,
for
example,
associates
from
the
classes
of
2023
and
2024
who
received
bonuses
in
excess
of
$200,000
or
even
$300,000.- The
top
associate
bonuses
this
year
were
more
than
8
times
what
those
associates
would
have
earned
under
the
market
system.- The
total
Formula
Compensation
bonus
pool
for
all
associates
who
were
with
the
Firm
for
the
entire
compensation
year
was
197%
of
what
that
bonus
pool
would
have
been
on
the
“market
system.”- That’s
right:
In
total,
the
Firm
paid
out
nearly
twice
as
much
in
associate
bonuses
as
it
would
have
on
market.
As
usual,
we
are
happy
to
do
it,
because
you
earned
it.
Bonuses
will
be
paid
to
associates
this
week.
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]
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.
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.
Read
the
full
memo
below.
It
has
been
an
incredibly
busy
2025
for
Boies
Schiller
Flexner
and
our
clients,
filled
as
usual
with
trials,
hearings,
and
appellate
arguments.
We
secured
big
wins
for
plaintiffs
and
defendants
alike,
and
for
individuals,
corporations,
and
classes.
The
work
of
our
associates
was
critical
to
that
success,
as
it
is
every
year,
given
the
responsibilities
you
handle
in
and
out
of
the
courtroom.
On
behalf
of
BSF,
we
thank
you
and
your
loved
ones
for
your
important
contributions.While
we
do
this
job
for
many
reasons
beyond
money,
the
Firm’s
unique
Formula
Compensation
system
ensures
that
all
of
our
lawyers—associates,
counsel,
and
partners
alike—share
in
the
Firm’s
success
and
have
a
personal
stake
in
their
work.
Because
Formula
Compensation
calculations
are
unique
to
each
individual,
bonuses
necessarily
vary
depending
on
hours,
the
nature
of
the
work,
any
premium
recoveries,
business
generation
credits,
and
other
considerations.
But
as
usual,
across
the
Firm,
Formula
Compensation
results
in
compensation
that
compares
favorably
to
the
market:
-
The
prevailing
market
bonus
scale
at
other
firms
ranges
from
$21,000
(for
class
of
2025,
prorated)
to
$140,000
(for
class
of
2018
and
above).
These
figures
include
the
“special
bonuses”
that
many
firms
are
awarding. -
This
year,
more
than
88%
of
BSF
associates
received
a
bonus
that
was
at
least
as
high
as,
and
in
most
cases
higher
than,
what
that
associate
would
have
received
under
the
market
system.
Those
that
did
not,
generally
invested
material
time
on
one
or
more
contingency
cases
that
have
not
yet
paid
out. -
Numerous
associates,
including
some
very
junior
ones,
received
bonuses
far
in
excess
of
the
very
top
of
the
market—and
that
includes
the
“super
bonuses”
that
some
other
firms
have
announced. -
In
total,
nearly
20%
of
all
associates
received
bonuses
at
or
above
the
very-top-of-the-market
scale—meaning
that
they
got
bonuses
equal
or
greater
to
what
an
8th
year
associate
would
have
gotten
on
the
market
scale.
But
at
BSF,
many
of
the
associates
who
received
those
above-the-top-of-the-market
bonuses
were
far
more
junior
including,
for
example,
associates
from
the
classes
of
2023
and
2024
who
received
bonuses
in
excess
of
$200,000
or
even
$300,000. -
The
top
associate
bonuses
this
year
were
more
than
8
times
what
those
associates
would
have
earned
under
the
market
system. -
The
total
Formula
Compensation
bonus
pool
for
all
associates
who
were
with
the
Firm
for
the
entire
compensation
year
was
197%
of
what
that
bonus
pool
would
have
been
on
the
“market
system.” -
That’s
right:
In
total,
the
Firm
paid
out
nearly
twice
as
much
in
associate
bonuses
as
it
would
have
on
market.
As
usual,
we
are
happy
to
do
it,
because
you
earned
it.
Bonus
payments
will
be
distributed
this
week
to
all
associates
in
good
standing,
and
the
Finance
Department
will
follow
with
details
regarding
all
attorneys’
Formula
Compensation
calculations.On
behalf
of
the
partners,
we
thank
you
all
for
your
commitment
to
the
Firm
and
our
clients.
Our
collective
growth
and
success
depends
on
your
good
work.We
look
forward
to
seeing
most
of
you
and
your
families
in
Florida
at
our
annual
Firm
retreat
later
this
week.The
Managing
Partners
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
@[email protected].