Houston, TX – Susman Godfrey LLP, the national litigation boutique, made three new partners and announced big bonuses over the weekend. Bonuses ranged from $35,000 for associates in the class of 2010 to $85,000 for associates in the class of 2006. Neal Manne, one of the firm’s managing partners, said that total compensation rose to more than $330,000 for top associates, and noted that associates at the firm continue to become eligible for full partnership far sooner than at most firms. “It’s hard to compare us to other firms because we don’t have associates who are out of law school for as long as top bonus-earners elsewhere. Lawyers out of law school that long are already full equity partners at our firm, receiving a partnership distribution rather than merely a bonus.”
Founder and managing partner Steve Susman confirmed that the firm does not have non-equity partners. “The young lawyers we elected to our partnership last weekend have only been at the firm for 5 years. They now become full equity partners—and they deserve it.” The firm elected to partnership David Peterson of its Houston office, Joseph Portera of its Dallas office, and Genevieve Vose of its Seattle office.
The firm continues to aggressively recruit lawyers from select law schools and from federal judicial clerkships, especially women. Manne noted that in the past year more than half of the firm’s 12 new lawyers are women, and that women now make up more than half the partners, and lawyers, in the firm’s Los Angeles office.
Susman Godfrey has 103 lawyers practicing in New York, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles and Seattle. Its practice is limited to litigation, and it represents both plaintiffs and defendants on a variety of fee arrangements.
