Litigation Powerhouse Offers Up Super 'Kool' Bonuses, Salaries For Associates
Everything is bigger in Texas, including the year-end bonuses. Congrats!
We love it when law firms keep it cool by matching the generous market bonus scale… or in this case, we suppose they’re keeping it “kool.”
Sources report that McKool Smith — the Texas-based complex trial firm that’s been handing out money to associates hand over fist for years — announced its year-end bonuses late last week, and it’s not surprising that the firm is matching the Cravath scale. (From what we know, there’s been no word on a Cravath match for salaries quite yet at the firm.)
Either way, a Cravath match means that this is what the bonus scale looks like at the firm:
- Class of 2023 – $15,000
- Class of 2022 – $20,000
- Class of 2021 – $30,000
- Class of 2020 – $57,500
- Class of 2019 – $75,000
- Class of 2018 – $90,000
- Class of 2017 – $105,000
- Class of 2016+ – $115,000
UPDATE (12/19): McKool Smith rolled out salary updates today, and they seem to match the Cravath scale as well. Here’s what compensation will look like at the firm, effective January 1, 2024. Note that first- and second-year associates at the firm will be making $5,000 more than what’s being offered by other leading Biglaw firms.
- Class of 2023 – $230,000
- Class of 2022 – $240,000
- Class of 2021 – $260,000
- Class of 2020 – $310,000
- Class of 2019 – $365,000
- Class of 2018 – $390,000
- Class of 2017 – $420,000
Based on past precedent, we know that big billers at this firm are likely to receive even more cash on top of their base bonuses. Congratulations to everyone at McKool Smith!
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 a senior editor at 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 Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.
