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Messed up a document production. What now?
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I got 15k, didn’t ask for it, used a recruiter.
I got $20k for lateraling as a third year in litigation (Amlaw25) in the DC market. No recruiter.
What level are you?
Third year
If your salary scale is going to remain unchanged and you aren’t leaving a bonus on the table at your former firm there’s probably not much of an economic case for a signing bonus. But it doesn’t hurt to ask “is there any opportunity for a signing bonus?” They will probably either say “no” or something like “we hadn’t thought of that but what do you have in mind?” If you get the latter response I would ask for half or less of the standard annual bonus for 3rd years, or some other number that’s something but doesn’t feel aggressive. Laterals can only really negotiate aggressively when the hiring firm really wants you for a specific need. Few third year hires qualify, although if your situation is VERY unusual you might have more leverage than I’m assuming.
Law firms pay what they have to pay to get what they need or keep what they have. In a buyer’s market the firm generally has the leverage.