Biglaw
bonus
season
has
been
largely
predictable,
with
many
top
firms
playing
follow
the
leader
when
it
comes
to
their
bonus
and
salary
scales.
One
firm,
however,
raised
the
stakes
on
compensation
this
summer,
kicking
its
salary
scale
up
a
notch
while
matching
Milbank’s
special
bonuses
at
the
same
time.
Now
that
bonus
season
is
here,
that
firm
is
once
again
strutting
its
stuff
when
it
comes
to
its
financial
prowess,
offering
associates
bonuses
of
up
to
$240,000.
The
firm
we’re
speaking
of
is
of
course
Axinn,
which
in
early
September
announced
a
salary
scale
ranging
from
$250,000
for
first-years
to
$460,000
for
eighth-years
–
–
$25,000
above
the
current
Biglaw
salary
scale
for
each
class
year.
While
Biglaw
firms
are
trotting
out
the
same
old
lockstep
salary
scale
this
holiday
season,
Axinn
is
retaining
its
enhanced
one.
As
far
as
bonuses
are
concerned,
the
firm
is
handing
out
base
bonuses
for
associates
at
the
prevailing
market
rate,
but
it’s
also
offering
bonuses
at
well
above
the
market
rate
for
many
of
its
hardworking
attorneys.
Sources
tell
us
that
some
associates
at
the
firm
have
earned
bonuses
of
up
to
$100,000
above
market,
while
others
are
bringing
home
total
bonuses
of
up
to
$240,000.
Now
that’s
a
real
gift!
The
firm’s
bountiful
bonuses
will
be
paid
out
on
Friday,
December
19.
Congratulations
to
everyone
at
Axinn!
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
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with
her
on LinkedIn.