Upending The BigLaw Bonus Season
Tom Borman, LawFuel Contributor
The bonus wars were starting to look boring with the announced payouts we just reported, then a boutique firm waltzed in and lit a match under the whole market.
According to Above the Law, Wilkinson Stekloff (the litigation boutique that basically runs on caffeine, confidence and extraordinary trial results) has thrown down year-end associate bonuses ranging from US$22,500 to US$172,500.
That number is well above what the supposedly all-powerful BigLaw giants are offering. It appears boutiques have discovered what BigLaw keeps forgetting: if you want to keep good associates, you pay them like you actually mean it.
The ATL report is based on a memo first surfaced by Bloomberg Law, and the numbers confirm what many insiders suspected all year: boutiques are no longer playing catch-up. They’re installing their own salary ceiling and daring everyone else to reach it.
The Numbers That Punched a Hole Through the Market
Let’s put the bonus scale in context of what is happening with biglaw bonuses:
- Cravath’s traditional “pace-setting” bonuses topped out around US$140,000 this year, per Reuters.
- Most peer firms dutifully matched Cravath, the way they always do, because originality in BigLaw compensation is about as common as a partner who doesn’t say “let me circle back.”
- Meanwhile, Wilkinson Stekloff has effectively said: “Cute. Here’s US$172,500. Try again.”
LawFuel covered the creeping shift toward variable pay earlier this year, where summer bonuses were suspiciously generous even though base salaries flatlined. See: “Hot Summer Bonuses At BigLaw Conceal A Secret.” It turns out the secret was simple: bonuses are now the weapon of choice.
Why a Boutique Can Out-Pay BigLaw
There are obvious reasons for the ability and inclination for boutique law firms to provide some major financial advantages :
1. Homicidally high utilisation
Boutiques squeeze value out of every associate like they’re a limited-edition lemon. When your firm runs fewer bodies on massive, high-stakes cases, every junior is a revenue-generating organism.
2. No giant pyramid of dead weight
BigLaw is full of people whose billable hours haven’t seen action since the Obama administration. Boutiques don’t carry passengers.
3. P&L freedom
Less overhead. No sprawling global offices. No baroque admin departments chewing through cash. More runway to drop megabonuses when trial revenues pop.
4. Recruitment magnetism
Throwing six-figure bonuses is the new way to lure associates who are sick of BigLaw bureaucracy but still addicted to the money.
Implications: The Bonus War Isn’t Ending — It’s Escalating
For big firms:
They either match, pretend they don’t care, or quietly panic when recruiters start calling their senior associates and offering the opportunities that boutiques can provide.
For boutiques:
Expect more of them to flash serious numbers. When your profitability rests on small teams and blockbuster litigation, paying top-tier talent isn’t generosity, but a strategy.
For associates:
The headline figure is great, but the real question for associates will be eligibility: hours, performance, partner whims, and whether the top bonus tier exists outside press releases and unicorn sightings. We’ll keep you up-to-date but email us with any news on the issue, anytime.
