Today
is
August
22.
It’s
been
two
full
business
weeks
since
Milbank
announced
that
it
would
be
handing
out
special
bonuses
to
associates
($6,000
to
$25,000,
based
on
class
year).
Other
midsize
and
boutique
firms
have
already
stepped
in
to
award
summer
bonuses
to
their
associates
—
firms
like Vartabedian
Hester
&
Haynes ($5,000); Otterbourg ($15,000);
Bell
Nunnally
(up
to
$15,000);
and Hueston
Hennigan ($10,000
to
$30,000,
based
on
hours)
—
but
we’ve
heard
nothing
but
crickets
from
Milbank’s
Biglaw
brethren.
Biglaw
has
more
or
less
ignored
the
firm’s
announcement.
Biglaw
firms
have
played
this
waiting
game
before
when
it
comes
to
bonuses,
but
this
is
getting
to
be
a
bit
much.
This
is
looking
like
what
happened
last
summer,
when
Milbank
announced
a
special
summer
bonus,
and
the
market
didn’t
react
until
Cravath
finally
decided
to
match
when
announcing
its
year-end
bonuses.
It’s
hardly
a
spoiler
alert
to
say
what’s
bound
to
happen
next.
We
all
know
that
the
biggest
and
most
profitable
Biglaw
firms
are
going
to
match
these
bonuses
because
no
one
wants
to
be
caught
flat-footed
when
it
comes
to
compensation.
Why
not
announce
those
matches
now,
instead
of
making
associates
wait
to
hear
the
good
news?
Stop
delaying
the
inevitable.
We’ve
got
one
week
left
before
Labor
Day
is
here.
If
your
firm
announces
summer
bonuses,
please
let
us
know
ASAP,
so
we
can
spread
the
news
and
hopefully
make
the
market
do
something.
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.
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
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 Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.