such
thing
as
a
free
lunch.
There’s
a
reason
we’ve
been
referring
to
the
2025
bonus
season
as
the
year
of
the
boutique
firm.
While
Biglaw
firms
are
scrambling
to
match
Cravath’s year-end
bonuses and
Milbank’s
special
bonuses,
boutique
firms
are
ready
to
really
share
the
wealth
when
it
comes
to
compensation.
The
latest
boutique
to
announce
bonuses
for
associates
is
no
different
—
they’re
rewarding
their
attorneys
handsomely
with
top
bonuses
that
exceed
the
market
scale.
Selendy
Gay
recently
announced
that
it
would
be
blowing
away
the
market
bonus
scale
for
the
eighth
year
in
a
row.
“This
year’s
scale
reflects
the
exceptional
work
our
associates
deliver
every
day,”
said
Kelley
Cornish,
the
firm’s
managing
partner.
“These
bonuses
underscore
our
deep
appreciation
for
their
talent,
dedication,
and
unwavering
commitment
to
our
clients
and
to
one
another.”
This
is
what
base
bonuses,
plus
special
bonuses,
look
like
at
the
elite
boutique:
|
Class Year |
Base Bonus |
Special Bonus |
Total Bonus |
| 2018+ | $132,250 | $25,000 | $157,250 |
| 2019 | $120,750 | $25,000 | $145,750 |
| 2020 | $103,500 | $25,000 | $128,500 |
| 2021 | $86,250 | $20,000 | $106,250 |
| 2022 | $66,125 | $15,000 | $81,125 |
| 2023 | $34,500 | $10,000 | $44,500 |
| 2024 | $23,000 | $6,000 | $29,000 |
| 2025 | $17,250 | $6,000 | $23,250 |
Selendy’s
bonuses
are
already
15%
higher
than
the
Biglaw
numbers
across
the
board
—
but
some
associates
will
wind
up
receiving
bonuses
up
to more
than
50%
higher than
the
prevailing
market
rate,
based
on
performance,
hours,
and
firm
citizenship.
Congratulations
to
all
Selendy
Gay
associates
on
their
amazing
bonuses!
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 LinkedIn.