Boutique Firm Vartabedian Hester & Haynes Blazes Bonus Trail With Generous Summer Payouts
While Biglaw firms continue their summer tradition of radio silence on bonuses, one ambitious boutique isn’t waiting around.
Boutique Bonus Payments
Texas-based boutique litigation firm Vartabedian Hester & Haynes, just 18 months old, has outpaced Biglaw by announcing $5,000 bonuses for all attorneys and staff—plus bonuses for summer associates and interns—while maintaining pay above the Cravath scale.
Texas-based Vartabedian Hester & Haynes, a rising litigation boutique specializing in complex commercial disputes, has just announced a firm-wide bonus that’s turning heads. All attorneys and staff—regardless of seniority or title—will receive a $5,000 bonus.
Even summer associates and interns are getting in on the action, with a tidy $1,500 bonus headed their way.
Not bad for a firm that only opened its doors 18 months ago.
VHH, founded by former Biglaw partners looking to combine elite-level litigation expertise with a leaner, more collaborative culture, has quickly established itself as a serious player in the Texas legal scene.
The firm has pledged to pay its associates at or above the Cravath/Milbank scale, while offering the kind of hands-on, high-impact experience you don’t always get in the towering halls of Biglaw.
This latest bonus round reflects that ethos—rewarding everyone, from partner to paralegal, and even the interns getting coffee (and probably writing memos too).
With Biglaw still in wait-and-see mode, VHH’s bold approach is a reminder that boutique doesn’t mean small when it comes to reward or ambition.
