Biglaw may seem like the place to be when it comes to high salaries and even higher bonuses, what with Milbank’s generous year-end and special bonus scales, but once again, it’s time for us to consider elite boutique law firms. We’ve got another bonus from a boutique that absolutely blows away the current market standard.
Susman Godfrey has entered the scene to wow its associates — and the market at large, to be frank — with its astounding bonus scale. We’re told that these numbers exceed the prevailing market scale, including base and special bonuses. This year, the firm is sharing bonuses with associates that reach a median of $260,000 by graduation year.
For purposes of comparing Susman Godfrey associate bonuses to those of law firms that award bonuses based on class year, here are the firm’s median bonuses by graduation year:
Again, these are the median bonuses, but given that the most junior associates ($110,000) are earning slightly less than the most senior associates on the Milbank scale ($115,000), you know it’s been a good year at Susman Godfrey. For the sake of comparison, the standard market bonus for the Class of 2020 is $75,000, with an additional special bonus of $20,000 ($95,000 total), meaning Susman is giving associates at least $60,000 more. That’s a pretty great payday.
The firm’s managing partners, Vineet Bhatia and Kalpana Srinivasan, had this to say about the good news:
“Susman Godfrey enjoyed another extremely successful year. We also hit a pivotal moment in exceeding for the first time 100 partners. Our strong partnership and deep bench of talent continue to position us to handle the most complex cases against the most formidable adversaries across the nation.”
The prestigious firm also announced its new partnership class, adding seven associates eligible for election to its full equity ranks. You can read the firm’s announcement on the next page.
Congratulations to both the firm and its associates on a fantastic year!
(Flip to the next page to read the firm’s bonus press release in full.)
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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at 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.
