Other than higher pay (I didn’t become a lawyer to get rich 🤣) what is the benefit of working for BigLaw, or private practice in general? As a government lawyer, I make 6 figures, have excellent benefits, no billable hours requirements, more time off than I know what to do with (including mental health days), a pension, a 401(K), option to chose whether to WFH or not, no weekend work, no working before 8am or after 5pm. It seems like so many lawyers in private practice are unhappy.
Chief
No. Year end only.
Following - I wish I knew I could negotiate my signing bonus better or full YE bonus but maybe it’s not too late 🤞
Def not.
Probably not unless you negotiated salary being reevaluated at 6 months. Take the feedback and do what you can for year end.
Not at all, especially for a first year associate who hasn’t even completed a full year yet. Also, small firms *usually* do not give year end bonuses like big law does. My mid-size firm does not give very large bonuses if you haven’t completed a full year. I got a $7,500 bonus at year-end for 9.5 months of employment and a $35,000 bonus at year-end the following year.
For a small firm I wouldn’t expect more than $10,000 bonus at year-end and it’ll likely be less than that.