Well,
well,
well
—
look
who
just
slid
into
bonus
season
with
their
checkbook
open.
Dechert
has
officially
matched
the
prevailing
year-end
and
special
bonus
scale,
ensuring
associates
can
breathe
for
at
least
five
minutes
before
remembering
their
hours
are
due
today.
But
Dechert
didn’t
stop
at
a
simple
match.
Oh
no.
The
firm
also
announced
extra
compensation
for
high
billers,
because
nothing
says
“we
value
you”
like
handing
out
more
money
to
the
associates
burning
that
midnight
oil.
Associate
bonuses,
which
will
be
paid
before
the
end
of
January
2026,
are
on
the
below
scale:
|
2025 U.S. Bonus Scale |
||
|
Class Year |
2025 Year End Bonus |
Special Bonus |
| 2024 | $20,000 | $6,000 |
| 2023 | $30,000 | $10,000 |
| 2022 | $57,500 | $15,000 |
| 2021 | $75,000 | $20,000 |
| 2020 | $90,000 | $25,000 |
| 2019 | $105,000 | $25,000 |
| 2018+ | $115,000 | $25,000 |
And
here’s
the
high
biller
fine
print:
As
previously
communicated,
lawyers
who
recorded
2,200
extraordinary
bonus
hours
are
eligible
to
receive
an
additional
30%
above
the
year-end
bonus
amount,
and
those
who
recorded
2,400
extraordinary
bonus
hours
are
eligible
to
receive
an
additional
40%.
This
extraordinary
bonus
is
in
addition
to
the
amounts
set
forth
above
and
aims
to
recognize
and
reward
exceptional
contributions.
Dechert
matching
Cravath
(and
Milbank
on
special
bonuses)
is
another
domino
falling
in
a
season
that,
so
far,
has
been
full
of
cautious
optimism
and
strategic
generosity.
This
will
put
pressure
on
peer
firms
to
get
their
own
announcements
out
before
every
associate
in
America
starts
drafting
internal
emails
titled
“please
advise
as
to
bonus
timeline.”
Bonus
season
is
officially
in
full
swing.
And
if
you’re
a
high
biller
at
Dechert?
That
ka-ching
you
hear
is
your
holiday
spirit.
Read
the
full
email
on
the
next
page.
So,
is
your
firm
matching
*both*
the
year-end
and
special
bonuses?
Let
Above
the
Law
know!
We
depend
on
your
tips
to
stay
on
top
of
important
bonus
updates,
so
when
your
firm
matches
(or
if
they
fail
to
do
so),
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
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.
Thanks
for
all
of
your
help!
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].