Some firms enjoy keeping it cool with associates by offering bonuses on top of bonuses to flex their financial prowess. In fact, the latest firm to announce bonuses announced a different round of bonuses just weeks ago.
Sources report that McKool Smith — the Texas-based complex trial firm that’s been offering cash to associates hand over fist for years — announced its year-end bonuses earlier this week, and it’s not surprising that the firm is matching the Cravath scale, complete with Milbank’s summer bonuses,. As a cherry on top of this bonus sundae, the firm is offering additional cash to associates who have been billing their butts off, with some attorneys walking away with bonuses exceeding the market scale by 15%, 25%, or 35% and higher. If you recall, just before Thanksgiving, McKool issued special appreciation bonuses to all attorneys at the firm, ranging from $2,500 to $10,000, based on their tenure at the firm. No matter how you cut it, lawyers at McKool are making more money than their colleagues are at other firms.
Here’s what the base bonus scale looks like at McKool:
Bonuses will hit bank accounts prior to December 19, 2025. Congratulations to everyone at McKool Smith!
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.
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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.
The post This Firm Is Keeping It ‘Kool’ With Supersized Associate Bonuses appeared first on Above the Law.