{"id":139736,"date":"2025-12-24T10:47:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T18:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/12\/24\/small-firm-big-checks-boutique-firm-leaves-market-bonus-rate-in-the-dust\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T10:47:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T18:47:10","slug":"small-firm-big-checks-boutique-firm-leaves-market-bonus-rate-in-the-dust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/12\/24\/small-firm-big-checks-boutique-firm-leaves-market-bonus-rate-in-the-dust\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Firm, Big Checks: Boutique Firm Leaves Market Bonus Rate In The Dust"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Time and again this bonus season, boutique firms have done much more than simply match the Cravath\/Milbank scale for <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/11\/cravath-starts-biglaws-bonus-season-with-year-end-and-special-bonuses\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">year-end<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/08\/milbank-issues-summer-bonuses\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">special bonuses<\/a>. The latest firm to do so is offering above-market bonuses to its associates \u2014 and source tell us that in some cases, those bonuses are \u201csignificantly\u201d above market.<\/p>\n<p>The latest boutique to spread the wealth to associates is New York-based investment fund litigation boutique\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rksllp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Rolnick Kramer Sadighi<\/a>. The young firm recently celebrated its five-year anniversary, and in a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7409006169186332673\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">LinkedIn post<\/a>\u00a0published earlier this week, announced that \u201cits associate and counsel bonuses yet again exceeded the Cravath\/Milbank year-end and special bonus scale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a reminder, this is what the prevailing market rate for bonuses and special bonuses looks like this year (give or take the inclusion of the Class of 2025), and RKS is awarding bonuses\u00a0<em>\u201cabove\u201d<\/em>\u00a0these amounts: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Class of 2024 \u2013 $20,000 \/ $6,000<\/li>\n<li>Class of 2023 \u2013 $30,000 \/ $10,000<\/li>\n<li>Class of 2022 \u2013 $57,500 \/ $15,000<\/li>\n<li>Class of 2021 \u2013 $75,000 \/ $20,000<\/li>\n<li>Class of 2020 \u2013 $90,000 \/ $25,000<\/li>\n<li>Class of 2019 \u2013 $105,000 \/ $25,000<\/li>\n<li>Class of 2018+ \u2013 $115,000 \/ $25,000<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Congratulations to all Rolnick Kramer Sadighi associates!<\/p>\n<p>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\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:tips@abovethelaw.com?subject=%5BFirm%20Name%5D%20Bonus\/Matches\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">email us<\/a>\u00a0(subject line: \u201c[Firm Name] Bonus\/Matches\u201d). Please include the memo if available. You can take a photo of the memo and send it via text or email if you don\u2019t want to forward the original PDF or Word file.<\/p>\n<p>And if you\u2019d like to sign up for ATL\u2019s 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\u2019t need to do anything. You\u2019ll receive an email notification within minutes of each bonus announcement that we publish. Thanks for your help!<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Staci-Zaretsky.jpg?resize=150%2C100&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66762\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/author\/staci-zaretsky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Staci Zaretsky<\/a>\u00a0is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to <a href=\"mailto:staci@abovethelaw.com\">email<\/a> her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/stacizaretsky.bsky.social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Bluesky<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stacizaretsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">X\/Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.net\/@stacizaretsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Threads<\/a>,\u00a0or connect with her o<\/em><\/strong><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/author\/staci-zaretsky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/staci-zaretsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">n<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/12\/small-firm-big-checks-boutique-firm-leaves-market-bonus-rate-in-the-dust\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Small Firm, Big Checks: Boutique Firm Leaves Market Bonus Rate In The Dust<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Time and again this bonus season, boutique firms have done much more than simply match the Cravath\/Milbank scale for <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/11\/cravath-starts-biglaws-bonus-season-with-year-end-and-special-bonuses\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">year-end<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/08\/milbank-issues-summer-bonuses\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">special bonuses<\/a>. The latest firm to do so is offering above-market bonuses to its associates \u2014 and source tell us that in some cases, those bonuses are \u201csignificantly\u201d above market.<\/p>\n<p>The latest boutique to spread the wealth to associates is New York-based investment fund litigation boutique\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rksllp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Rolnick Kramer Sadighi<\/a>. The young firm recently celebrated its five-year anniversary, and in a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7409006169186332673\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">LinkedIn post<\/a>\u00a0published earlier this week, announced that \u201cits associate and counsel bonuses yet again exceeded the Cravath\/Milbank year-end and special bonus scale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a reminder, this is what the prevailing market rate for bonuses and special bonuses looks like this year (give or take the inclusion of the Class of 2025), and RKS is awarding bonuses\u00a0<em>\u201cabove\u201d<\/em>\u00a0these amounts: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Class of 2024 \u2013 $20,000 \/ $6,000<\/li>\n<li>Class of 2023 \u2013 $30,000 \/ $10,000<\/li>\n<li>Class of 2022 \u2013 $57,500 \/ $15,000<\/li>\n<li>Class of 2021 \u2013 $75,000 \/ $20,000<\/li>\n<li>Class of 2020 \u2013 $90,000 \/ $25,000<\/li>\n<li>Class of 2019 \u2013 $105,000 \/ $25,000<\/li>\n<li>Class of 2018+ \u2013 $115,000 \/ $25,000<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Congratulations to all Rolnick Kramer Sadighi associates!<\/p>\n<p>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\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:tips@abovethelaw.com?subject=%5BFirm%20Name%5D%20Bonus\/Matches\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">email us<\/a>\u00a0(subject line: \u201c[Firm Name] Bonus\/Matches\u201d). Please include the memo if available. You can take a photo of the memo and send it via text or email if you don\u2019t want to forward the original PDF or Word file.<\/p>\n<p>And if you\u2019d like to sign up for ATL\u2019s 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\u2019t need to do anything. You\u2019ll receive an email notification within minutes of each bonus announcement that we publish. Thanks for your help!<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Staci-Zaretsky.jpg?resize=150%2C100&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66762\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/author\/staci-zaretsky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Staci Zaretsky<\/a>\u00a0is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to <a href=\"mailto:staci@abovethelaw.com\">email<\/a> her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/stacizaretsky.bsky.social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Bluesky<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stacizaretsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">X\/Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.net\/@stacizaretsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Threads<\/a>,\u00a0or connect with her o<\/em><\/strong><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/author\/staci-zaretsky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/staci-zaretsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">n<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/12\/small-firm-big-checks-boutique-firm-leaves-market-bonus-rate-in-the-dust\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Small Firm, Big Checks: Boutique Firm Leaves Market Bonus Rate In The Dust<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Time and again this bonus season, boutique firms have done much more than simply match the Cravath\/Milbank scale for year-end and special bonuses. The latest firm to do so is offering above-market bonuses to its associates \u2014 and source tell us that in some cases, those bonuses are \u201csignificantly\u201d above market. The latest boutique to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":139716,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Staci-Zaretsky-6lzrIt.jpg?fit=150%2C100&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139736\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}