Biglaw Very Low Bonus for Pregnant Associate

[Anonymous]

I am a senior associate at a biglaw firm. I am also pregnant. This year my firm gave me only a very small bonus (like smaller than the first years get). I did just miss the criteria to get the BIG bonus, but in my experience the firm usually just discounts the bonus (by maybe 25%) for people who miss the criteria.

I suspect that the reason the firm got cheap on my bonus is that they think I can’t move anywhere while I’m pregnant. BUT—jokes on them—I have another job lined up. I am about to give notice. Should I be honest about my suspicion about the reason for my low bonus, or should I just move on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a senior associate at a biglaw firm. I am also pregnant. This year my firm gave me only a very small bonus (like smaller than the first years get). I did just miss the criteria to get the BIG bonus, but in my experience the firm usually just discounts the bonus (by maybe 25%) for people who miss the criteria.

I suspect that the reason the firm got cheap on my bonus is that they think I can’t move anywhere while I’m pregnant. BUT—jokes on them—I have another job lined up. I am about to give notice. Should I be honest about my suspicion about the reason for my low bonus, or should I just move on?

Just move on. They sound cheap, you sound immature, and there's no need to burn a bridge on the way out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a senior associate at a biglaw firm. I am also pregnant. This year my firm gave me only a very small bonus (like smaller than the first years get). I did just miss the criteria to get the BIG bonus, but in my experience the firm usually just discounts the bonus (by maybe 25%) for people who miss the criteria.

I suspect that the reason the firm got cheap on my bonus is that they think I can’t move anywhere while I’m pregnant. BUT—jokes on them—I have another job lined up. I am about to give notice. Should I be honest about my suspicion about the reason for my low bonus, or should I just move on?

Just move on. They sound cheap, you sound immature, and there's no need to burn a bridge on the way out.

jokes on them? The above poster is right, you sound extremely immature. They do not care about you. Stay, go, whatever, they don't care.

[Anonymous]

This is not high school OP. They don’t care about you. You are just a number. You are taking “revenge” on the wrong target.

[Anonymous]

Idk. I could see this either way. On one hand biglaw bonuses are part of the comp and are expected as part of the bargain. I still got the full bonus in years I had low hours. So, giving a senior associate a $&@! bonus sends a message and maybe OP should just say she heard the message. On the other hand, the firm doesn’t care about you and won’t care what you do or say on the way out so there’s really no point in being negative when instead you can humble brag about new job.

[Anonymous]

The “joke” is on you. They got to pay you less, signaling your lack of value in up or out, and you are indeed leaving!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The “joke” is on you. They got to pay you less, signaling your lack of value in up or out, and you are indeed leaving!

+1 Seems like their plan worked.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, let’s think about this. They paid you less than a “typical” bonus for an underperformer, making clear they’re not eager to retain you, assuming (correctly) that you would make a change in connection with your pregnancy—whether it’s moving elsewhere, going SAHM, or asking to go PT.

How exactly is the “joke on them”?

Trust me, my feisty young colleague, you’re neither the first nor the last to jump on and off the carousel. I doubt you’re at my firm, but your partners knew you were leaving before you did.

The downside, for those interested, is that this is an 80%+ story. It’s a massive impediment to women (other than the non-child bearing) reaching the top of the profession.

[Anonymous]

You have it backwards. They do not want/care to retain you. Someone is actually for whatever reason or combination or reasons hoping you move on.

[Anonymous]

OP here: this advice is helpful. I think I just need to give notice and get out. I am going to decline the exit interview and just say I am leaving because of a new opportunity. (I think I’ll be vague about where.)

The “joke” is only on my firm in the sense that they recently gave me work on a bunch of annoying matters—including one for a super annoying client who barely pays the bill—and I’ll get to off load those matters on one of the guys. But it’s true, their calculation could have been that I would leave as a result of bad conditions, not that I would have to stick it out because pregnant people can’t get hired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: this advice is helpful. I think I just need to give notice and get out. I am going to decline the exit interview and just say I am leaving because of a new opportunity. (I think I’ll be vague about where.)

The “joke” is only on my firm in the sense that they recently gave me work on a bunch of annoying matters—including one for a super annoying client who barely pays the bill—and I’ll get to off load those matters on one of the guys. But it’s true, their calculation could have been that I would leave as a result of bad conditions, not that I would have to stick it out because pregnant people can’t get hired.

It's not pregnant "people" - it's women. We, women, have to deal with the potential for this type of discrimination, even those of us who don't intend to have children, because women are the only people who can get pregnant.

[Anonymous]

Market is down for high end legal services. Many firms held the line on qualifying. Some only paid half of the associates a bonus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Market is down for high end legal services. Many firms held the line on qualifying. Some only paid half of the associates a bonus.

Really? Not in big law anymore, but from grapevine, I heard there was just a salary bump and associates with the right skills are getting recruitment bonuses. OP was able to jump for a reason. There is demand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Market is down for high end legal services. Many firms held the line on qualifying. Some only paid half of the associates a bonus.

If OP made her original statement, read the responses it generated, then came up with this:

“ The ‘joke’ is only on my firm in the sense that they recently gave me work on a bunch of annoying matters—including one for a super annoying client who barely pays the bill…”

She is not delivering high end legal services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: this advice is helpful. I think I just need to give notice and get out. I am going to decline the exit interview and just say I am leaving because of a new opportunity. (I think I’ll be vague about where.)

The “joke” is only on my firm in the sense that they recently gave me work on a bunch of annoying matters—including one for a super annoying client who barely pays the bill—and I’ll get to off load those matters on one of the guys. But it’s true, their calculation could have been that I would leave as a result of bad conditions, not that I would have to stick it out because pregnant people can’t get hired.

OP, I commend you for being able to take the harsh (albeit anonymous opinions) and use that to recalculate your thinking vs ACTING on emotion. Emote, get it out, take the advice, and move forward with strength. You will make (continue to be) a great lawyer.