firstish

bonus + special?

I officially hate my firm. We now have grocery stores and satellite offices of non-NY firms matching this sh*t.

NYC Bonus List of Shame

2008 Vault Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 Latham & Watkins LLP
9
10
*11 Kirkland & Ellis LLP (Punted)
12
13
14
15
16 Williams & Connolly LLP
17
18 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
19 O'Melveny & Myers LLP
20
21 Arnold & Porter LLP
22 Jones Day
23 Morrison & Foerster LLP
24
25
*26 Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft (Punted)
27 Hogan & Hartson LLP
28 Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP
29
30 Ropes & Gray LLP
31 Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker
32
33 Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
34 Winston & Strawn LLP
35
36 Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
37 Linklaters
38 Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
39
40
41 King and Spalding
*42 Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (Punted)
43
44 Baker & McKenzie
45 Baker Botts LLP
46 Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
47 Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
48 Dechert LLP
49 Irell & Manella LLP
*50 McDermott, Will & Emery (Punted)
51 Jenner & Block LLP
52
53
54 DLA Piper
55
56 Fish & Richardson P.C. (Failed to Match)
57 Fulbright & Jaworski LLP
58 Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
59 Goodwin Procter LLP
60 Cooley Godward LLP
61 Alston & Bird
62 Heller Ehrman
63 Vinson & Elkins
64 Bingham McCutchen
65 Sonnenschein Nath
66 Greenberg Traurig
67
68 Holland & Knight
69 Steptoe & Johnson
70 Foley & Lardner
71 Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
72 Chadbourne & Parke
73 Hunton & Williams
74 Nixon Peabody
75 Thacher Proffitt
76 Bryan Cave
77
78 Perkins Coie
79 Stroock & Stroock & Lavan
80 Patton Boggs
81 Howrey
82 Reed Smith
83 Crowell & Moring
84 McGuireWoods
85
86 Arent Fox
87 Katten Muchin Rosenman
88 Finnegan, Henderson
89
90 Thelen Reid & Priest
91 Baker & Hostetler
92
93 Venable
94 Squire, Sanders & Dempsey
95 Kelley Drye & Warren
96 Dickstein Shapiro
97 Fenwick & West
98 Kilpatrick Stockton
99
100 Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
NR. McKee Nelson (Failed to Match)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BONUS STATUS BY 2006 RPL
Rank 2006 in revenue
by revenue Revenue per lawyer
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Wachtell ABOVE MARKET $2,455,000 2.5%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Sullivan & Cromwell MARKET & ABOVE MARKET FOR SENIOR ASSOC. $1,565,000 1.3%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Wiley Rein $1,520,000 162.1%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Cravath MARKET $1,355,000 5.9%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Davis Polk MARKET $1,200,000 4.8%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Simpson Thacher-MARKET $1,200,000 6.7%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 McKee Nelson BELOW MARKET $1,190,000 1.7%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 Milbank, Tweed MARKET $1,110,000 10.4%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9 Skadden MARKET $1,095,000 10.1%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Cahill Gordon MARKET $1,075,000 8.6%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11 Fragomen, Del Rey $1,070,000 26.6%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 Gibson, Dunn $1,050,000 4.0%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 Irell & Manella $1,050,000 9.9%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14 Kirkland & Ellis PUNTED $1,035,000 5.1%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14 Paul, Weiss MARKET $1,035,000 0.5%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16 Munger, Tolles $1,025,000 18.5%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17 Quinn Emanuel $1,020,000 28.3% SLIGHTLY ABOVE MARKET BUT PARTIALLY DEFERRED
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18 Shearman & Sterling MARKET $1,010,000 2.0%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19 Debevoise & Plimpton MARKET $1,005,000 8.6%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20 Cadwalader BONUS ANNOUNCED, NO $ FIGURES $1,000,000 6.4%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 Boies, Schiller $980,000 3.2%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 Weil, Gotshal MARKET $980,000 2.6%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23 Cleary Gottlieb MARKET $975,000 7.1%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24 Willkie Farr MARKET $970,000 12.8%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25 Williams & Connolly $955,000 2.7%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26 Finnegan, Henderson $945,000 11.2%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27 Townsend and Townsend $940,000 6.2%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
28 Fried, Frank $930,000 MARKET 4.5%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
29 Schulte Roth MARKET W/ HOURS REQS. & POSSIBILITY OF MORE $925,000 6.9%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30 Latham & Watkins $920,000 5.1%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31 Wilmer Cutler MARKET $890,000 5.3%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
32 McDermott Will PUNTED $875,000 12.9%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
33 Kaye Scholer MARKET WITH POSSIBILITY OF MORE & PERF. REQS. $865,000 7.5%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
34 Arnold & Porter $855,000 4.9%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
34 Ropes & Gray $855,000 1.8%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
36 Choate, Hall $850,000 10.4%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
36 Kramer Levin MARKET W/ PERF. REQS. $850,000 6.3%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
38 Heller Ehrman $845,000 5.0%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
39 Akin Gump $840,000 7.7%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Hughes Hubbard $835,000 12.1%

Not listed: Dewey (Market with hours requirement)
Clifford Chance (Market)
White & Case (Market)
Morgan Lewis (Punted)
Covington (Special Bonus - Regular Bonus not yet announced)
Sidley (Special Bonus - Regular Bonus not yet announced)
Freshfields (Market)
Allen & Overy (Market)
Proskauer (Market with hours reqs.)
Fish & Richardson (Failed to Match)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bonus List of Shame
by NY Attorneys (Source: Crains)

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16) Wilson Elser
17)
18)
19) Latham & Watkins
20)
21)
22)
23)
24)
25) Greenberg Traurig

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Non-NY Bonus List of Shame:
(firms not matching in all domestic offices)

Firm (Offices that DID match)
1) Dewey & LeBoeuf (NYC)
2) Fried Frank (NYC)
3) White & Case (NYC)
4) Sidley Austin (NYC)
5) Covington & Burling (NYC)
6) Proskauer (NYC, LA, Boston)
7) WilmerHale (NYC)

you know what someone should post? a list of shame..

"The D.C. and Boston associates are going to find out anyway. So why not bite the bullet, and make a firm-wide announcement (a la Sidley)?"

Or maybe the speculation is completely off the mark.

I like Brett Favre

"Non-NY Bonus List of Shame:
(firms not matching in all domestic offices)"

I don't understand this list. NY should get more than other cities, so why is it shameful that associates in Chicago, Houston, Cleveland or wherever else do not get paid as much as associates in NY?

Wilmer outclassed by Sidley?

..shocking!

I thought someone had said Hughes Hubbard had matched--Fact or Fiction?

Brett Favre is not beyond his prime!

WGWAG

3:42, to stop the crying by Non-NYers that the List of Shame was ignoring them. And that firms weren't really "market" unless they matched in the all offices Skadden sense of Market. Really it should be titled the "Non-NY Bonus List of ... umm ... I lost interest at Non-NY"

3:41(2): So are you saying that WH associates in D.C. and Boston ARE in fact getting the same bonuses as NY?

"When you've got Brett Favre that means you've got Brett Favre and with Brett Favre you've really got it, and that's what that's all about."

this list of shame is beyond stupid. someone kill me now before i scroll through it again whenever lat announces another worthless and pointless bonus announcement that someone is gonna get paid 10K more. woohoo. if you idiots care so much about money, why are you lawyers? stupidest decision, ever.

No. What I'm saying is that the speculation that WH did not issue a paper memo because Boston/DC associates will be angry makes no sense, because assocs in those offices would find out anyway (and I'm sure WH realizes that).

WH didn't issue a paper memo because they don't want their clients to be ticked off about the raises. They didn't issue a firm-wide memo the last time salaries were raised either. They just don't do that.

And NY is NOT a satellite office.

to 4:22,

um...why exactly are you scrolling through this blog if you don't care about money?

John Madden - Genius post. Will be laughing the rest of the day.

WHEN WILL BOSTON FIRMS MATCH????

WILMER MATCHING IN ITS ONLY NON-MAJOR OFFICE CITY IS A TRAVESHAMOCKERY

Wilmer never has a bonus memo. Each associate gets a letter with his/her bonus. Not sure why the NY office decided to have a group hug and announce, but so be it. Maybe the partners wanted a pat on the back in person.

And WH NY is DEFINITELY a satellite office. Kind of a bulky Waltham (or Anglicized Berlin).

WilmerHale DC had better match.

Almost all incoming summers would have had offers from satellite offices of NY firms that are matching. If Wilmer doesnt match, then I think a sizable portion of the summer class (and a fair few associates) may decide to jump ship (especially sinces most summers end up clerking and can easily go to another firm).

Summers have $150K in loans to pay, so every $10K in bonuses makes a huge difference.

And just for the record - Wilmer NYC IS a satellite office! (only DC and Boston can be considered main offices).

NYC may be a satellite office, but they're looking to grow it to 250 or so in a few years. While it'll still be smaller than the DC and Boston offices, it'll be a major player and be satellite in name only - at least that's my guess.

Should I go to Ropes or Wilmer?

5:20-name a non-NY firm that wouldn't like to grow their NY satellite by 100 lawyers.

5:23 - if you have to ask, go to Ropes.

WH NY is not a satellite office. If it were, they would not have matched bonuses.

And they won't be matching in DC or Boston, so take THAT "main" offices!

Uh, 5:50, matching NY bonuses is a clear sign of a satellite office trying to avoid a mass exodus and relegation to its previous status as a "backwater" office. You'll take your satellite status and like it!

Oh, and trying to add 100 lawyers to finally be 1/2 the size of DC does not make you "co-main". If you can do it, it just makes you an oversized satellite (you'll be the Skadden DC of NY offices - think people look at them as "co-main"?).

The decisions are still made in DC/Boston. We are the puppet masters, you are the puppets!!!

5:50 - "WH NY is not a satellite office. If it were, they would not have matched bonuses."

Great logic. Looking forward to being a 3L?

A NYC office as a backwater? Please...

Wilmer's NYC office is hardcore. It is full of Harvard/Yale grads and tons of SCOTUS clerks all around.

What's the deal with
MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY ???

The deal with mcDermott is that they suck ass. Thought you knew.

Ropes and Gray pays the same in all offices. I can't believe WilmerHale is going to let their arch rival out pay them in Boston and DC!

Shame...

Should I go to WH or Goodwin (Boston offices)?

6:35 - what? You've just described Wilmer DC (only there are fewer in NY). The only place that isn't drowning in SCOTUS clerks is Boston. Maybe NY will someday battle Boston for second best, but that's a long way away.

Hardcore? Pfft.

7:29 - since when is ropes DC/Boston outpaying Wilmer DC/Boston?

6:58:

I think ATL posted a memo a while ago that McDermott matched bonus & special bonus.

7:33 - if putting down the NY office makes you feel like good even though your office didn't match, then so be it. I don't think the NYer will care one way or the other - $o much for that.

7:30 - Goodwin is a bit more stable right now, if that means anything. I'm sure this will draw some reaction, but there are still mixed reports out of WH regarding the merger, culture and all that. Yes, I'm obviously not at WH, but this is what message boards are for. That being said I'm pretty sure Ropes, WH and Goodwin are reluctantly committed to matching NYC.

9:17 - shut up.

NYC Bonus List of Shame

2008 Vault Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 Latham & Watkins LLP
9
10
*11 Kirkland & Ellis LLP (Punted)
12
13
14
15
16 Williams & Connolly LLP
17
18 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
19 O'Melveny & Myers LLP
20
21 Arnold & Porter LLP
22 Jones Day
23 Morrison & Foerster LLP
24
25
*26 Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft (Punted)
27 Hogan & Hartson LLP
28 Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP
29
30 Ropes & Gray LLP
31 Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker
32
33 Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
34 Winston & Strawn LLP
35
36 Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
37 Linklaters
38 Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
39
40
41 King and Spalding
*42 Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (Punted)
43
44 Baker & McKenzie
45 Baker Botts LLP
46 Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
47 Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
48 Dechert LLP
49 Irell & Manella LLP
*50 McDermott, Will & Emery (Punted)
51 Jenner & Block LLP
52
53
54 DLA Piper
55
56 Fish & Richardson P.C. (Failed to Match)
57 Fulbright & Jaworski LLP
58 Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
59 Goodwin Procter LLP
60 Cooley Godward LLP
61 Alston & Bird
62 Heller Ehrman
63 Vinson & Elkins
64 Bingham McCutchen
65 Sonnenschein Nath
66 Greenberg Traurig
67
68 Holland & Knight
69 Steptoe & Johnson
70 Foley & Lardner
71 Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
72 Chadbourne & Parke
73 Hunton & Williams
74 Nixon Peabody
75 Thacher Proffitt
76 Bryan Cave
77
78 Perkins Coie
79 Stroock & Stroock & Lavan
80 Patton Boggs
81 Howrey
82 Reed Smith
83 Crowell & Moring
84 McGuireWoods
85
86 Arent Fox
87 Katten Muchin Rosenman
88 Finnegan, Henderson
89
90 Thelen Reid & Priest
91 Baker & Hostetler
92
93 Venable
94 Squire, Sanders & Dempsey
95 Kelley Drye & Warren
96 Dickstein Shapiro
97 Fenwick & West
98 Kilpatrick Stockton
99
100 Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
NR. McKee Nelson (Failed to Match)

9:26,

we need more comments like yours.
short, succinct, concise, to the point, having miraculous healing power, having miraculous healing powder, bonerrific, and short.

i love you

3:41, 4:22: There is a special joy that can only be achieved by repeatedly seeing one's firm among the few V20 firms that have not matched.

Long live the bonus list of shame!!!!

10:02 - now you shut up.

So how about a DC bonus list of shame Lat? Or someone else who isnt too busy billing during holiday season!

NYC Bonus List of Shame

2008 Vault Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 Latham & Watkins LLP
9
10
*11 Kirkland & Ellis LLP (Punted)
12
13
14
15
16 Williams & Connolly LLP
17
18 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
19 O'Melveny & Myers LLP
20
21 Arnold & Porter LLP
22 Jones Day
23 Morrison & Foerster LLP
24
25
*26 Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft (Punted)
27 Hogan & Hartson LLP
28 Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP
29
30 Ropes & Gray LLP
31 Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker
32
33 Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
34 Winston & Strawn LLP
35
36 Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
37 Linklaters
38 Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
39
40
41 King and Spalding
*42 Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (Punted)
43
44 Baker & McKenzie
45 Baker Botts LLP
46 Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
47 Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
48 Dechert LLP
49 Irell & Manella LLP
*50 McDermott, Will & Emery (Punted)
51 Jenner & Block LLP
52
53
54 DLA Piper
55
56 Fish & Richardson P.C. (Failed to Match)
57 Fulbright & Jaworski LLP
58 Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
59 Goodwin Procter LLP
60 Cooley Godward LLP
61 Alston & Bird
62 Heller Ehrman
63 Vinson & Elkins
64 Bingham McCutchen
65 Sonnenschein Nath
66 Greenberg Traurig
67
68 Holland & Knight
69 Steptoe & Johnson
70 Foley & Lardner
71 Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
72 Chadbourne & Parke
73 Hunton & Williams
74 Nixon Peabody
75 Thacher Proffitt
76 Bryan Cave
77
78 Perkins Coie
79 Stroock & Stroock & Lavan
80 Patton Boggs
81 Howrey
82 Reed Smith
83 Crowell & Moring
84 McGuireWoods
85
86 Arent Fox
87 Katten Muchin Rosenman
88 Finnegan, Henderson
89
90 Thelen Reid & Priest
91 Baker & Hostetler
92
93 Venable
94 Squire, Sanders & Dempsey
95 Kelley Drye & Warren
96 Dickstein Shapiro
97 Fenwick & West
98 Kilpatrick Stockton
99
100 Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
NR. McKee Nelson (Failed to Match)

Don't you hate pants?

all, the real question is what will irell and manella do. They pride themselves on paying top of the market, but without a huge transactional practice to support the rates, it is hard to see how they will be able to do that this year. IF they don't match, the other LA firms will also not match.

I don't think Ropes or Goodwin will be affected too much by WH's bonus moves/non-moves. In Boston, at least, WH is an afterthought.

Who are irell and manella???

I work in IP and I've never heard of these firms. Please refrain from discussing random tiny firms that no one cares about - it reduces the stature of this esteemed blog.

9:28 ... agreed. I think there are more appropriate forums for such comments. Perhaps the bulletin board at a local Starbucks.

You are in IP and you have never heard of Irell and Manella? They were named top IP firm of the year by chambers last year. Many would say it is the best IP firm in the nation, with the best IP lawyer in Morgan Chu. They, with Quinn, are also the firm that started the salary increases from 125.

9:28. . I assume you are joking. .

looks like some xoxo flame is making its way to ATL.

That said, unfortunately this is going to be the model for the Cheap 3, A&P, Ropes, etc. With PPP aorund ~$1M, it's understandable why Wilmer, A&P, Covington, Ropes, etc. won't match, but the Cheap 3 all have PPP comparable with big NY firms like Shearman, Davis Polk, etc.

11:32 - the cheap 3? WTF are you talking about?