Biglaw Firm Dismays Associates With Increased Hours Requirement For Full Bonus

Biglaw bonus announcement should be unambiguously good news. Extra cash for a job well done. What’s not to like? Well, the powers that be at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati announced bonuses today but the murmuring we are hearing here at Above the Law is less-than great.

First, here’s the bonus schedule announced at WSGR:

While the table looks pretty standard, it’s the fine print that’s pissing off associates. Multiple tipsters have reported that the firm shifted the hours requirement to get special bonuses, and pushed back the standard disbursal period for those specials by two months.

FYI, WSGR announced bonuses this afternoon. Increased hours requirement for the special bonus (2000 vs 1950) without any warning. Feels very much like they moved the goalposts at the last minute for people who were otherwise locked in for the bonus, which has been the same hours requirement forever. Also, they are paying bonuses 2 months later than usual (March 31 vs February 1). People are quite annoyed. Peer firms don’t have the same requirements.

Another insider noted similar problems with this year’s bonus announcement:

WSGR matched but the special bonus is at 2,000 hours but was not announced until after year end. Many associates were within 20-30 hours of the extended cap and are less than over the moon

Insiders seem pretty pissed about the fiasco.

Hi all, I’m a Wilson Sonsini associate and they just announced bonuses. Ignoring the Hogan Lovells fiasco, they decided to make the special bonus threshold 2,000 hours instead of the usual 1,950. Associates are beyond pissed and really outraged that they would move the goalposts after the fiscal year has ENDED

More reactions:

WSGR matched with the special bonus only provided to those hitting 2,000 rather than the firm’s long-standing 1,950. This was not pre-announced, so there are obviously apoplectic associates just a few hours off.

You can read the full memo on the next page.

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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].

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