Lawyer Pay

Seyfarth Shaw announces some layoffs while rolling back salary cuts

Seyfarth Shaw has announced that it is returning staff members to full 2020 salaries, restoring attorney compensation, and bringing back some furloughed employees.

Sep 18, 2020 3:51 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Self-driving car crash leads to charge; ABA center will monitor trial of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero

Backup driver for self-driving car is charged after crash death A backup driver for an Uber self-driving test vehicle has been charged with negligent homicide for a March 2018 crash that killed a homeless woman. Rafael Vasquez, 46, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Maricopa County, Arizona. Police in Tempe, Arizona,…

Sep 18, 2020 3:01 PM CDT

BigLaw firm is punishing 5 departing partners in bonus clawback dispute, petition says

Five former Nixon Peabody partners allege that their former law firm tried to punish them for jumping to DLA Piper by trying to claw back bonuses and withholding money in support of the effort.

Sep 18, 2020 12:15 PM CDT

Have COVID-19 bonus wars begun? Milbank matches higher scale for special bonuses

Milbank is paying special bonuses to its associates that match those of Davis Polk & Wardwell while sweetening the payout for top performers. “We called it yesterday. The COVID-19 bonus wars are upon us,” says one publication.

Sep 17, 2020 10:42 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Police reform part of Breonna Taylor settlement; state chief justice dies

Louisville will pay $12M to family of Breonna Taylor The city of Louisville, Kentucky, has agreed to pay $12 million to settle a lawsuit by the family of Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police when her boyfriend fired at officers, thinking they were intruders, during a raid of her…

Sep 15, 2020 4:49 PM CDT

Davis Polk announces special bonuses that top Cooley’s and promises year-end bonuses, too

Davis Polk & Wardwell has announced special bonuses of up to $40,000 for U.S. associates while also promising year-end bonuses that likely will be no lower than last year.

Sep 15, 2020 3:38 PM CDT

Pay gap has widened for male and female partners in larger law firms, new report says

The pay gap between male and female partners is growing, partly because compensation for male partners is increasing at a faster rate than that of female partners, according to a report by legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa.

Sep 15, 2020 11:30 AM CDT

Cooley announces ‘appreciation bonuses,’ commits to year-end bonuses at least this high

Cooley has told its associates that they will receive “special appreciation bonuses” to recognize their “resilience, sacrifice and commitment” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sep 15, 2020 9:35 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Godmother feels betrayed after law firm money theft; state AG staffer probed over BLM buttons fuss

Bookkeeper accused of embezzling $740K from godmother’s law firm A former bookkeeper and office manager accused of embezzling $740,000 from a Rhode Island law firm has agreed to plead guilty in the theft, according to federal prosecutors. The defendant, 39-year-old Sarah Gaulin, was accused of taking the money from Hamel,…

Sep 14, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Trump’s census count order blocked; lawyer dies by suicide as cops close in

Court blocks Trump’s census count order A special three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has blocked President Donald Trump’s order to exclude from the census count immigrants who are in the country illegally. The panel said Trump exceeded his authority when he…

Sep 11, 2020 4:12 PM CDT

BigLaw firm switches from strict lockstep compensation for partners to modified system

Davis Polk & Wardwell is changing to a more flexible compensation system, allowing it to pay more money to retain and attract rainmaking partners.

Sep 11, 2020 9:56 AM CDT

BigLaw firm offers associates a voluntary year off and stipends to help

Ropes & Gray is offering current and incoming associates a year off from the law firm, along with financial help to do it.

Sep 11, 2020 9:30 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Top state court criticizes former justice; more law firms reverse pay cuts

Top state court criticizes disciplined former justice The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday criticized Cynthia Baldwin, a former justice, after she said an affidavit, if true, shows “bias and vindictiveness” in the discipline case against her. The statement by four justices who disciplined Baldwin said their reprimand “was based not…

Sep 10, 2020 4:39 PM CDT

Vanderbilt Law Review members donate fees to support minority students with ABA diversity scholarship

When leaders of the Vanderbilt Law Review realized they would meet remotely this semester, they also realized they wouldn’t need to collect the dues that usually pay for their space and supplies. Rather than dwelling on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it prevented them from coming together, the VLR’s executive editor says they saw it as an opportunity to put their dues to good use.

Sep 9, 2020 11:55 AM CDT

Lawsuit over parental leave policy will continue against Jones Day

Jones Day must face a lawsuit brought by former associates who accuse the firm’s parental leave policy of discriminating against fathers, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled last week.

Sep 9, 2020 10:18 AM CDT