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You’re getting played, plain & simple. Happened to me when I worked at a firm; I won’t let it happen to my associates at my own firm.
Ask them for a written copy of your pay structure. It needs to reflect your base salary, the % you get on all cases you work on, and the % you get on cases you bring in. If they won’t give it to you, leave the firm.
You’re obviously good enough to get results; no reason for you to stick around and make someone else richer.
Thank you for this. I wasn’t unhappy with my bonus but always feel like there’s still money on the table. They’re always so secretive. I’ll be taking your advice in 2024.
What the others have said.
We do a full written line by line offer at the outset. Same with all subsequent financial conversations. We literally include all investments in the team member including base pay, incentives on production, origination, 401k, profit sharing, Cle investments, licensing, health insurance contribution, etc.
All lawyers get full transparency of their total cost to the firm.
Thank you for this! Definitely wish I worked for someone like you and A5.
Rising Star
I have complete transparency as I get a percentage directly tied to recovery.
So you don’t even know your pay structure and its at the total discretion of your firm and could change each year? Not normal at all.
Salary plus discretionary bonus. That’s a fairly normal structure. But firms will give you more definitive terms - in writing - so if you want that and they won’t give it to you, go find it.
We tie commission directly to recovery, but salary increase is based on other factors.
Bonus like a commission you can just go and propose with a piece of paper and time to talk it through then follow with an updated contract they preferably write up. If it's like a Christmas bonus it's voluntary and discretionary. Good luck and be well.
I receive a % of each case I settle, which goes up once I cross a certain threshold. I appreciate the transparency.
Perhaps you can try broaching this at your yearly or mid year review? It feels like a standard practice! Most of my colleagues at other PI firms have a % of anywhere from 3-10%. Worth asking.
I was told something similar when I was first hired at a large firm (you will be rewarded for good work, we will take into account your total settlement numbers, etc) just for them to change course during bonus time and not tell me. They ended up giving the same shitty bonus to all attorneys just to not hurt any feelings. I quit a month later
Ugh. Sorry you went through this. I have no clue what the other attorneys are getting b/c nobody is willing to discuss. It does seem like bonuses increase each year but I have no idea if there will come a year where there’s a cap or how much each year they’ll increase. Not knowing earning potential or working toward a specific % is driving me crazy.
I have always done a salary with discretionary bonuses based on how the firm is doing. I have some attorneys and support staff looking to change this and have mandatory bonuses upon exceeding goals as well as other incentives. How do you suggest I switch to base plus bonuses? I think the salaries as they are would be too high to be considered “base” salaries.
Rising Star
Do a draw. That's a perfectly legitimate strategy and it will also shake the weak performers out.
Start year with 100k. 28% on every file. If you hit your 100k on that 28% you get 28% on everything above, otherwise you get 100k. (Or the boot If performance is exceptionally bad).
That's the type of fee structure I personally dream of as an associate.
Really interesting to me that they are being really shady about telling you where your bonus is coming from. Most firms I have worked at tie the bonus to directly to fees brought in. They should definitely be forthcoming with you on the pay structure.