Biglaw firms across the country continue to announce bonuses this holiday season. Just before Christmas, one of the most successful law firms in America let eligible associates know that they’d be receiving a match of the Cravath/Milbank scale for year-end and special bonuses. But that’s not all — the firm also let associates know that enhanced performance bonuses were up for grabs.
The firm in question is DLA Piper, which brought in $$4,239,832,000 gross revenue in 2024, putting it at No. 3 on the Am Law 100. Bonus eligibility at DLA is based on seniority, performance rating, productivity (the firm has a 2000-hour billable goal), compliance with firm policies, and good standing status. This year, those who meet the criteria for market bonuses will also receive special bonuses.
Here’s what the bonus grid looks like at the firm:
- Class of 2024 – $20,000 / $6,000
- Class of 2023 – $30,000 / $10,000
- Class of 2022 – $57,500 / $15,000
- Class of 2021 – $75,000 / $20,000
- Class of 2020 – $90,000 / $25,000
- Class of 2019 – $105,000 / $25,000
- Class of 2018+ – $115,000 / $25,000
DLA Piper is offering bonuses above and beyond the prevailing market rate for associates who have gone above and beyond in terms of billable hours and “exceptional” client service, offering enhanced bonuses for every 100 hours above the 2,000-hour expectation as well as for those who earned qualifying performance ratings.
Associates who met their hourly goals by December 15 will receive their year-end and special bonuses on December 26, with enhanced bonus payouts to be paid in February 2026. Those who meet their hours by December 31 will receive all bonus payments in February 2026.
Congratulations to everyone at DLA Piper!
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.
And if you’d like to sign up for ATL’s Bonus Alerts (which is the alert list we also use for salary announcements), please scroll down and enter your email address in the box below this post. If you previously signed up for the bonus alerts, you don’t need to do anything. You’ll receive an email notification within minutes of each bonus announcement that we publish. Thanks for your help!
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.
The post Top 3 Firm Spreads Holiday Cheer By Stuffing Associate Stockings With Big Bonuses appeared first on Above the Law.
Biglaw firms across the country continue to announce bonuses this holiday season. Just before Christmas, one of the most successful law firms in America let eligible associates know that they’d be receiving a match of the Cravath/Milbank scale for year-end and special bonuses. But that’s not all — the firm also let associates know that enhanced performance bonuses were up for grabs.
The firm in question is DLA Piper, which brought in $$4,239,832,000 gross revenue in 2024, putting it at No. 3 on the Am Law 100. Bonus eligibility at DLA is based on seniority, performance rating, productivity (the firm has a 2000-hour billable goal), compliance with firm policies, and good standing status. This year, those who meet the criteria for market bonuses will also receive special bonuses.
Here’s what the bonus grid looks like at the firm:
- Class of 2024 – $20,000 / $6,000
- Class of 2023 – $30,000 / $10,000
- Class of 2022 – $57,500 / $15,000
- Class of 2021 – $75,000 / $20,000
- Class of 2020 – $90,000 / $25,000
- Class of 2019 – $105,000 / $25,000
- Class of 2018+ – $115,000 / $25,000
DLA Piper is offering bonuses above and beyond the prevailing market rate for associates who have gone above and beyond in terms of billable hours and “exceptional” client service, offering enhanced bonuses for every 100 hours above the 2,000-hour expectation as well as for those who earned qualifying performance ratings.
Associates who met their hourly goals by December 15 will receive their year-end and special bonuses on December 26, with enhanced bonus payouts to be paid in February 2026. Those who meet their hours by December 31 will receive all bonus payments in February 2026.
Congratulations to everyone at DLA Piper!
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.
And if you’d like to sign up for ATL’s Bonus Alerts (which is the alert list we also use for salary announcements), please scroll down and enter your email address in the box below this post. If you previously signed up for the bonus alerts, you don’t need to do anything. You’ll receive an email notification within minutes of each bonus announcement that we publish. Thanks for your help!
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.
