Associate Bonuses Surge, But At What Cost?

BigLaw associate bonuses saw an unanticipated uptick this year when Simpson Thacher announced it was giving its associates their biggest year-end checks since the recession. Then Davis Polk upped the ante by honing on mid-tier associates and raising theirs by $5,000 to $10,000, and the rest of BigLaw followed suit. But while 2014 may have been a flush year for many firms, thanks to the uptick in mergers and acquisitions, the future remains uncertain, and robust bonuses may be lieu of raising salaries, which have been flat, at a time of industry ferment. Meanwhile there are indications that some clients, the ultimate found of this largesse, are not happy.