Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson; Clifford Chance; and litigation boutique Holwell Shuster & Goldberg all announced Tuesday that they have matched Milbank's associate bonus rates.

First-year associates at these firms will take home a $15,000 end-of-year bonus while senior associates on the upper scale will bring home up to $100,000, according to memos obtained by The American Lawyer.

The flurry of announcements is a sign that, as in years past, firms are willing to match the market leader in associate pay. Milbank was the first to release its pay scale Nov. 7.

Last year's bonus first mover, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, matched Milbank's pay scale Monday. Texas litigation boutique Reid Collins & Tsai is paying even larger bonuses, with first-year associates receiving $85,000, according to the firm.

Every year, firms scramble to match the first mover, fearing that otherwise they'll be perceived as less prestigious or less financially sound by law school recruits and laterals, say legal industry experts. But many warn that salary and bonus wars are detrimental to firm profits and to clients, as costs often are passed along.

But Zeughauser Group consultant Kent Zimmermann has said that the wars are seemingly inevitable and he does not expect them to stop anytime soon.

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Milbank Becomes First Mover With Early Associate Bonus Announcement