The trial boutique Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz has hired two clerks from the most recent U.S. Supreme Court term, and in the process it appears to have set a new high for incoming associate bonuses.

The hires, Elizabeth “Betsy” Henthorne and John James “JJ” Snidow, join the firm's Washington, D.C., office from the chambers of Justices Elena Kagan and Anthony Kennedy, respectively. Wilkinson Walsh will award them hiring bonuses of $350,000 each, name partner Sean Eskovitz said, compared with bonuses that have topped out at $300,000 and $330,000 for former high court clerks in recent years.

Supreme Court clerks typically join law firms as third-year or midlevel associates, since they are several years out of law school.