Category: News Feeds

White
&
Case
has
announced
it’s
matching
the
market
on
both
year-end
and
special
bonuses
for
its
US
associates
and
counsel.

The
firm
—
9th
on
the
Am
Law
100
with
over
$3.3
billion
in
gross
revenue
—
is
joining
the
market
consensus
and
handing
out
the
standard
Cravath-scale
year-end
bonuses
alongside
the
Milbank
summer
special
bonuses.
While
boutique
firms
remain

willing
to
blow
the
top
off
the
bonus
structure,
it’s
looking
like
the
biggest
firms
are
all
falling
into
line.

Is
there
any
hope
for
a
firm
to
buck
the
trend?
Time
will
tell.

Here’s
the
breakdown:

For
those
keeping
score
at
home,
that’s
a
combined
$140,000
for
the
most
senior
associates.
Not
too
shabby.

The
bonuses
will
be
paid
on
February
13,
2026
—
just
in
time
for
associates
to
make
that
big,
romantic
purchase
for
the
Valentine’s
Day
that
they’ll
miss
while
reviewing
and
revising
choice
of
law
clauses
all
weekend.

The
good
news
is
that
White
&
Case
associates
can
now
plan
accordingly.
The
bad
news
is
that
February
is
still
three
months
away,
which
is
an
eternity
in
Biglaw
billing
cycles.

Congratulations
to
everyone
at
White
&
Case.
May
your
billable
hours
be
high
and
your
bonus
eligibility
requirements
be
easily
met.

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.

<em>You
can
see
the
full
memo
on
the
next
page.</em>

---

Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or

Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a

Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.

Historically,
there
are
only
a
handful
of
Biglaw
firms
willing
to
stick
their
necks
out
and
raise
associate
compensation,
whether
in
terms
of
base
salary
or
bonuses. Davis
Polk
is
one
of
that
small
number.
So,
as
the
2025
bonus
season
heats
up,
everyone’s
wondering
what
move
DPW
is
going
to
make.

Drumroll
please….
they
are
matching.
They
announced
year-end
and
special
bonuses
that
match
the
prevailing
Biglaw
scale,
as
per
the
chart
below.
Generous
enough,
but
not
market
altering.

• Class
  of
  2025:
  Year-End
  $15,000
  Special
  $6,000
• Class
  of
  2024:
  Year-End
  $20,000
  Special
  $6,000
• Class
  of
  2023:
  Year-End
  $30,000
  Special
  $10,000
• Class
  of
  2022:
  Year-End
  $57,000
  Special
  $15,000
• Class
  of
  2021:
  Year-End
  $75,000
  Special
  $20,000
• Class
  of
  2020:
  Year-End
  $90,000
  Special
  $25,000
• Class
  of
  2019:
  Year-End
  $105,000
  Special
  $25,000
• Class
  of
  2018
  and
  senior:
  Year-End
  $115,000
  Special
  $25,000

Bonuses
will
be
payable
on
December
30th.

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!

Read
the
full
memo
below.

---

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].

Bonus
“szn”
is
officially
in
full
swing.
Just
days
after

Cravath
kicked
things
off,
setting
an
annual
bonus
mark
and
retroactively
joining

Milbank’s
summer
special
bonuses,
we’ve
got
another
firm
confirming
what
we
all
expected:
Baker
Botts
is
matching
the
Cravath
scale.

The
Houston-based
firm
—
which

clocked
a
record
2024
with
revenue
up
11.8
percent
and
profits
per
equity
partner
up
17.6
percent
—
signals
a
solid
2025
by
rewarding
associates
with
the
market-rate
bonuses.

Here’s
the
year-end
bonus
breakdown:

To
qualify
for
these
bonuses,
associates
and
special
counsel
need
to
be
in
good
standing
and
employed
on
the
payment
date,
meeting
their
hours
targets
for
the
bonus
calculation
period
running
December
1,
2024
through
November
30,
2025.
The
special
bonuses
are
for
“U.S.
associates
and
counsel
who
have
met
or
exceeded
productivity
targets
for
client
chargeable
work.”
The
“client
chargeable”
language
you

might
remember
setting
off
some
controversy
last
year
as
tipsters
reported
feeling
the
rug
pulled
out
when
the
firm
adopted
the
new
standard
cutting
out
some
previously
creditable
hours.
This
year,
presumably
every
one
knew
the
score
coming
in.

The
memo
takes
pains
to
remind
everyone
that
“money
is
far
from
the
sole
measure
of
our
commitment
to
our
people”
—
which
is
exactly
what
you
say
right
before
announcing
how
much
money
you’re
giving
people.

At
least
I
didn’t
have
to
dust
off
any
“bonuses
from
the
oven”
joke
this
year.
Progress.

Congrats
to
everyone
at
Baker
Botts!

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.

---

Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or

Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a

Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.

As
Biglaw
bonuses
continue
to
be
announced
with
much
fanfare
from
associates,
some
firms
are
hoping
to
slip
their
less-than
desirable
announcements
in
under
the
radar.
When
associates
are
constantly
refreshing
their
emails
in
the
hope
of
seeing
bonus
news,
no
one
wants
to
instead
see
a
memo
about
an
increase
to
their
in-office
facetime,
but
here
we
are.

Earlier
this
week,
Reed
Smith
—
a
firm
that
brought
in
$1,504,888,000
gross
revenue
in
2024,
putting
it
at
No.
37
on
the
most
recent
Am
Law
100
—
notified
associates
that
beginning
on
January
5,
2026,
they’d
be
expected
to
work
from
the
office
four
days
each
week.
To
say
that
associates
are
displeased
with
the
inopportune
timing
of
the
announcement
would
be
quite
the
understatement.
While
associates
at
other
firms
are
being
rewarded
with
six-figure
bonuses,
associates
at
Reed
Smith
are
being
rewarded
with
…
additional
office
days.
No
wonder
they’re
upset.

Quite
a
few
Biglaw
firms
are
now
requiring
four
days
in
the
office
firmwide,
including
the
likes
of A&O
Shearman; Cooley; Covington; Davis
Polk; Dechert
(junior
associates);

DLA
Piper (corporate
associates); Goodwin; Hogan
Lovells; Latham; Paul
Weiss; Ropes
&
Gray; Sidley; Simpson
Thacher; Skadden; Vinson
&
Elkins; Weil
Gotshal; WilmerHale;
and White
&
Case. Sullivan
&
Cromwell has
taken
its
attendance
policy
one
step
further,
requiring
attorneys
to
work
from
the
office
five
days
each
week.

As
soon
as
you
find
out
about
office
attendance
plans
at
your
firm,
please email
us (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Office
Reopening”)
or
text
us
at (646)
820-8477.
We
always
keep
our
sources
on
stories
anonymous.
There’s
no
need
to
send
a
memo
(if
one
exists)
using
your
firm
email
account;
your
personal
email
account
is
fine.
If
a
memo
has
been
circulated,
please
be
sure
to
include
it
as
proof;
we
like
to
post
complete
memos
as
a
service
to
our
readers.
You
can
take
a
photo
of
the
memo
and
attach
as
a
picture
if
you
are
worried
about
metadata
in
a
PDF
or
Word
file.
Thanks.

---

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 Lin

‘Tis
the
season
for
Biglaw
bonus
announcements,
and
Proskauer
Rose
has
entered
the
chat.
The
firm
announced
its
2025
year-end
bonuses
today,
matching
the
scale
that’s
rapidly
taking
on
consensus
status.

But
before
we
get
to
the
numbers,
let’s
take
a
trip
down
memory
lane.
Because
Proskauer’s
2024
bonus
season
was…
memorable.
And
not
in
a
“great
holiday
party”
kind
of
way.

Last
year,
Proskauer
associates
discovered
that
the
firm

sprung
an
hours
requirement
for
bonuses
that,
according
to
tipsters,
didn’t
formally
exist
until
after
people
missed
it.
Associates
who
fell
short
by
as
few
as

three
hours
found
nothing
but
coal
in
their
stockings.
The
firm
then
—
in
what
we
can
only
describe

as
damage
control
under
duress
—
called
a
virtual
town
hall

nine
minutes
after
our
story
posted
to
announce
that,
going
forward,
there
would
be
an
official
2,000-hour
requirement.

As
one
associate
put
it
at
the
time:
“They
say
it
can
change
from
year
to
year
but
they
will
tell
us
ahead
of
time
(yeah
right,
we’re
not
going
to
believe
that
shit
anymore).”

With
that
context,
let’s
examine
this
year’s
memo…
and
note
that
there’s
no
announced
hourly
changes:

Nothing
surprising
there.

Bonuses
will
be
paid
on
or
before
December
24,
2025
to
associates
who
are
employed
and
in
good
standing
on
that
date
and
who
have
met
the
Firm’s
applicable
performance
criteria
for
associates
of
their
seniority.

The
memo
also
includes
the
usual
caveats
about
pro-rated
bonuses
for
associates
on
reduced
schedules,
approved
leaves,
or
who
joined
after
January
1,
2025.
London
associates
get
pounds
to
sterling
conversions,
because
apparently
Brexit
didn’t
change
everything.

Congratulations
to
the
Proskauer
associates
who
will
be
receiving
their
checks
before
Christmas.
May
your
hours
be
above
threshold
and
your
good
standing
remain
unquestioned.

---

Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or

Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a

Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.

Pay
attention,
everyone,
because
we’ve
got
some
very
exciting
bonus
news
from
the
very
first
firm
to
announce
summer
bonuses
—
and
no,
it’s
not
Milbank.
If
you
recall,
back
in
July,
the

first
firm
to
announce
a
summer
bonus
was
Texas-based
complex
commercial
litigation
boutique Vartabedian
Hester
&
Haynes.

Now,
the
firm
is
back
with
a
Cravath/Milbank
bonus
blend
for
its
hardworking
associates.
“This
decision
reflects
our
commitment
to
reward
the
high
standard
of
work
you
deliver
and
to
recognize
your
contributions,”
the
partners
wrote
in
a
memo
to
associates.

Associates
who
have
met
their
1800-hour
annual
billable
goal
will
be
rewarded
with
these
generous
bonuses:

Bonuses
will
hit
bank
accounts
on
or
before
December
31,
for
a
very
happy
new
year
indeed.

Congratulations
to
everyone
at
VHH!

Remember
everyone,
we
depend
on
your
tips
to
stay
on
top
of
compensation
updates,
so
when
your
firm
announces
or
matches,
please
text
us
(646-820-8477)
or email
us (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Bonus/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
your
help!

---

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 Lin

It’s
been
a
challenging
year
for
firm
leaders
at

Paul,
Weiss.
The
firm
was
targeting
by
Donald
Trump
with
an
(unconstitutional)
Executive
Order,
and
rather
than
fight
in
court,
they
folded
to
Trump.
In
fact,
they
were

the
first
firm
to
do
so,
leading
the
capitulation
train…
and
got

plenty
of
pushback
for
it.

Bunches
of
folks

left
the
firm
in
protest,
so
it
makes
sense
the
firm
wants
to
reward
those
who
stuck
it
out.
All
of
which
is
preamble
to
say,
yes,
Paul,
Weiss
*is*
matching
the
prevailing
market
rate
on
year-end
and
special
bonuses.

The
bonus
scale
(year-end
+
special)
is
as
follows:

• Class
  of
  2025:
  $15,000
  +
  $6,000
• Class
  of
  2024:
  $20,000
  +
  $6,000
• Class
  of
  2023:
  $30,000
  +
  $10,000
• Class
  of
  2022:
  $57,000
  +
  $15,000
• Class
  of
  2021:
  $75,000
  +
  $20,000
• Class
  of
  2020:
  $90,000
  +
  $25,000
• Class
  of
  2019:
  $105,000
  +
  $25,000
• Class
  of
  2018
  and
  above:
  $115,000
  +
  $25,000

These
bonuses
will
be
paid
on
December
22nd.
And
for
those
working
extra
hard
for
PW
in
2025,
there’s
a
lil’
sumpin’
extra
from
the
firm.
According
to

reports,
the
firm
told
associates
the
year-end
cash
is
“in
addition
to
the
discretionary
bonuses
that
some
of
you
will
receive
in
early
2026
for
your
outsized
contributions
to
the
firm
over
the
past
year.”

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].

*
Elon
Musk
ends
his

lawsuit
against
Wachtell.
Wachtell
stresses
that
no
settlement
was
involved.
[Reuters]

*
Lawyer
who
turned
in
brief
with
AI
hallucinations
genuinely
didn’t
realize
using
Microsoft
Copilot
for
writing
and
grammar
would
also
lead
it
to
make
up
new
cases.
Clippy
is
out
of
control.
[ABA
Journal]

*
Here’s
an
article
about
Judge
Jerry
Smith’s
dissent
that
sanewashes
an
unhinged
opinion.
Compare
and
contrast

with
this
account
that
links
to
the
actual
opinion
and
quotes
from
it
heavily.
[National
Law
Journal]

*
It’s
time
to
start
blaming
John
Roberts
for
all
of
this.
[Mother
Jones]

*
DC
troop
deployment
found
illegal,
several
months
after
the
fact.
[Courthouse
News
Service]

*
CFPB’s
slow
death
continues.
[Law360]

*
Former
state
House
speaker
loses
law
license.
[CBS]

Boutique
Firm
Goes
Above
And
Beyond
The
Bonus
Scale:
Wilkinson
Stekloff
is
giving
out
so
much
money!
Biglaw
Firms
Are
Sharing
The
Bonus
News:
Ropes
&
Gray,
Hogan
Lovells.
If
You’re
Gonna
Disagree,
Go
All
Out:
Judge
Jerry
Smith
pens
a
104
page
dissent
that
is
strangely
preoccupied
with
George
Soros.
Former
Managing
Partner
Investigated
For
Sexual
Harassment:
Read
for
a
quick
breakdown
of
what

not
to
do
at
the
workplace.

Ed.
Note:
Welcome
to
our
daily
feature

Trivia
Question
of
the
Day!

The
late
Justice
John
Paul
Stevens
was
known
to
enjoy
what
kind
of
sandwich?

Hint:
Indeed,
Justice
Sonia
Sotomayor
confirmed,
“Justice
John
Paul
Stevens
would
have
[this
kind
of
sandwich]
virtually
every
day
that
I
sat
with
him
for
a
year.”

See
the
answer
on
the
next
page.