Susman Godfrey is giving its associates year-end bonuses ranging from $140,000 to $360,000—tripling the market bonus at the highest end of the scale. The firm is also providing special bonuses on top of its annual traditional bonuses to every single one of its 270 employees, including its 131 non-attorney employees.
Susman Godfrey’s first-year firm associates will receive median bonuses of $150,000—exceeding the bonuses for the most senior associates at other firms that follow the market scale. SG’s most senior associates will receive median bonuses of $350,000, which is more than triple the top of the New York scale. The firm’s market-topping bonuses will be paid to all associates, who will also see bumps in their 2024 salary to match the New York scale.
“We are in a truly extraordinary moment in the 40-plus year history of the firm, with our highest-ever revenue and a record number of cases tried over the last year and a half,” said the firm’s managing partners Vineet Bhatia and Kalpana Srinivasan. “Susman Godfrey has long stood by its commitment to share collectively in our good fortunes, and this year, more than ever, we are thrilled we can do that for every single employee in our organization.”
The firm also elected to partner all six associates in its 2023 class, adding new partners in each of its four offices. These new additions to Susman Godfrey’s equity-only partnership are:
- Michael Adamson (Los Angeles)
- Jillian Hewitt (New York)
- Katy Peaslee (Seattle)
- Steven Seigel (Seattle)
- Hunter Vance (Houston)
- Krisina Zuñiga (Houston)
Susman Godfrey sets bonuses based on partnership class (rather than graduation year) and has provided the median bonus by partner year below.
| Partner Year | Median Bonus by Partner Year | Number of Years at Firm |
| 2023 | $350,000 | 6 |
| 2024 | $310,000 | 5 |
| 2025 | $270,000 | 4 |
| 2026 | $230,000 | 3 |
| 2027 | $195,000 | 2 |
| 2028 | $150,000 | 1 |
The median bonus based on law school class is reflected below:
| Grad Year | Median by Comp Year |
| 2014 | $350,000 |
| 2015 | $330,000 |
| 2016 | $310,000 |
| 2017 | $295,000 |
| 2018 | $230,000 |
| 2019 | $195,000 |
| 2020 | $195,000 |
| 2021 | $150,000 |
Susman Godfrey also announced an increase in its associate salary scale as follows:
| Associate Graduation Year | Salary |
| 2016+ | $435,000 |
| 2017 | $420,000 |
| 2018 | $390,000 |
| 2019 | $365,000 |
| 2020 | $310,000 |
| 2021 | $260,000 |
| 2022 | $235,000 |
| 2023 | $225,000 |
