Pay
Lawyers Get $164,000 Bonuses to Keep Working 100 Hours a Week
Firms offer multiple annual bonuses and extra time off as they fight to retain talent and workers face pandemic burnout.
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It was just supposed to be an “appreciation bonus,” not start a wage war.
In September 2020, Cooley LLP, a Palo Alto-based law firm, announced it was handing out $2,500 to $7,500 in one-time payments to associates. The bonuses came as the firm — along with many others in the legal industry — realized it was both flush with cash and facing worker burnout during the pandemic.