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Eimer Stahl Announces New Bonus Rates for Federal Law Clerks, Bonus Scale for All Associates
CHICAGO (December 15, 2016) - Litigation boutique Eimer Stahl LLP announced Thursday it is adopting a new structure for the payment of federal clerkship bonuses to incoming associates. It will also continue to exceed the year-end associate bonus scale paid by Cravath, Swaine & Moore and other leading law firms.
Effective retroactively to all incoming associates who started at the firm in the fall of 2016, Eimer Stahl will pay $100,000 to those who join the firm directly from a clerkship with a federal circuit court judge and $80,000 to those who join directly from a clerkship with a federal district court judge. Incoming associates with two federal clerkships will receive an additional $20,000.
"Although the firm does not exclusively hire lawyers who have clerked, we and our clients recognize and value the experience and perspective that associates gain from a federal clerkship,” says Eimer Stahl Managing Partner Nate Eimer. "Our new clerkship bonus structure is designed to help us continue to attract the best legal talent in the country and ensure incoming judicial clerks are compensated commensurate with their value to the firm and with the changing legal market."
Of the firm’s 32 lawyers, seven have prior clerkship experience with U.S. district court judges and seven have clerkship experience with U.S. court of appeals judges.
In addition to its clerkship bonuses, and as in previous years, Eimer Stahl will continue to pay year-end bonuses to all associates in good standing under a two-tier structure. The first tier consists of a merit-based bonus, which matches the scale followed by Cravath for qualifying associates. This year, first-tier bonuses are as follows:
- Class of 2016 — $15,000 (pro-rated)
- Class of 2015 — $15,000
- Class of 2014 — $25,000
- Class of 2013 — $50,000
- Class of 2012 — $65,000
- Class of 2011 — $80,000
- Class of 2010 — $90,000
- Class of 2009 — $100,000
The second tier consists of an additional bonus based on the associate's performance and the firm's annual profitability. These profit-sharing bonuses provide a substantial additional bonus to high-performing associates.
The firm has no minimum hourly billing requirements to qualify for any of its bonus categories. “We think that such requirements are contrary to the best interests of our clients and view the quality of an associate’s work as the key determinant of year-end bonuses,” Eimer says.
About Eimer Stahl LLP
Founded in 2000, Eimer Stahl has a national litigation practice, focusing on antitrust, class actions, multidistrict environmental and product liability litigation, energy litigation, securities litigation, and other high-stakes commercial disputes. For more information, visit www.eimerstahl.com.
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