OP -- if you met your billable hour requirement for the year (NOT the pro rated requirement), then you are absolutely right to be suspect and should approach your boss as the PP outlined. But if you only met the pro rated requirement, that's probably why you didn't get a bonus. Pro rated hours don't mean that you "met" the yearly requirement -- it just tells the firm how productive you were before/after your leave. Maternity leave is not supposed to be something that gets used against you, but as many of us who have BTDT know, it often does. As you probably know, our profession is generally not family-friendly and I'm not sure your experience would be any different at most other firms. That doesn't mean you shouldn't say something anyway if it really bothers you -- ask the questions and get as much info as you can about their rationale.

That said, it sounds like you expected to receive a bonus, which is a bit surprising to me if you didn't meet your hours requirement. When I went out on maternity leave, I didn't expect a bonus or raise that year because I wasn't able to be out for almost 3 months and still meet my billable hour requirement for the year. I worked my butt off for the months I was in the office (and prior to that year, I was consistently one of the top-billing attorneys in the office), but it's hard to bill enough to make up that time. I am not going to get into whether all of this is fair or unfair -- I'm just giving you another perspective (albeit one that is jaded and cynical) from someone who has been in your shoes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I've met and exceeded all billing hours so there is no way this was a reflection of poor performance on my part. There are only two other associates at the firm, both male and neither of whom I feel would feel comfortable discussing bonuses with.

Sounds like your threshold for extraordinary work is at the level that is rewarded by a bonus. Status quo will keep your job, above and beyond will get you a bonus or raise. Your attitude of entitlement is shocking.

+10000000000

Um, you're bitter or jealous and obviously don't work at a law firm. A certain hours threshold = bonus. She's not entitled; she's rightfully looking out for herself. Even if hers is prorated, she deserves an explanation. Btw, taking only two months unpaid maternity leave at a law firm is REALLY nice on her part. Bigger firms give you 4-6 months paid! OP is hardly milking the system...

Anonymous wrote:who expects a bonus?

A bonus is pretty much a given at law firms, IMO. I've worked in big law for almost 20 years and bonusus are always given if the attorney puts in the required hours.

I think 7:19 gave you the perfect strategy.

2 months is not a particularly long time for a worker to be out in the grand scheme of things. If you're planning a 10-year (or more) career with this firm and billing a ton of hours and only having one baby, 2 months is nothing. Most firms know that recruiting and hiring a good employee is expensive and they would not want to lose that person.

I got a bonus for the year I took my 6-week maternity leave, even though I hadn't been at the company for a year when I went out on leave. I appreciated that they didn't penalize me.

who expects a bonus?

Anonymous wrote:2 months is a long time and I would think the other two lawyers in your firm had to work extra hard to make up for you not being there. If I was your boss, I would divide your bonus between the other two workers.

THIS

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I've met and exceeded all billing hours so there is no way this was a reflection of poor performance on my part. There are only two other associates at the firm, both male and neither of whom I feel would feel comfortable discussing bonuses with.

Sounds like your threshold for extraordinary work is at the level that is rewarded by a bonus. Status quo will keep your job, above and beyond will get you a bonus or raise. Your attitude of entitlement is shocking.

+10000000000

Okay, so you don't KNOW that the other associates got a bonus. You're just assuming based on past years. If you're not comfortable asking them, then you have to ask your boss.

Don't make it about the pregnancy. Make it about clarifying if there were bonuses last year. Something like:

"Hey Jim, I was just going through my tax paperwork and was trying to reconcile a few items. Did the firm issue bonuses last year? If so, when will they be paid out? I haven't seen mine come across but want to make sure I didn't miss it."

He'll either say "Oh, we didn't do bonuses because of X" or he might say something vague like, "No, you didn't miss it."

At that point, start questioning. You're an attorney, you can sort this out. Something like, "Oh, no one got bonuses this past year?" You do need to get to the heart of if only you were excluded, but you need to do it in a way that doesn't automatically assume they excluded you because of the time off.

From there you can decide what you want to do. But don't go in assuming the worst - that puts everyone on the defensive.

I think this sounds like a good approach, OP.

shitlaw

Anonymous wrote:Okay, so you don't KNOW that the other associates got a bonus. You're just assuming based on past years. If you're not comfortable asking them, then you have to ask your boss.

Don't make it about the pregnancy. Make it about clarifying if there were bonuses last year. Something like:

"Hey Jim, I was just going through my tax paperwork and was trying to reconcile a few items. Did the firm issue bonuses last year? If so, when will they be paid out? I haven't seen mine come across but want to make sure I didn't miss it."

He'll either say "Oh, we didn't do bonuses because of X" or he might say something vague like, "No, you didn't miss it."

At that point, start questioning. You're an attorney, you can sort this out. Something like, "Oh, no one got bonuses this past year?" You do need to get to the heart of if only you were excluded, but you need to do it in a way that doesn't automatically assume they excluded you because of the time off.

From there you can decide what you want to do. But don't go in assuming the worst - that puts everyone on the defensive.

+1

My first thought is that there may not have been bonuses this year.

Okay, so you don't KNOW that the other associates got a bonus. You're just assuming based on past years. If you're not comfortable asking them, then you have to ask your boss.

Don't make it about the pregnancy. Make it about clarifying if there were bonuses last year. Something like:

"Hey Jim, I was just going through my tax paperwork and was trying to reconcile a few items. Did the firm issue bonuses last year? If so, when will they be paid out? I haven't seen mine come across but want to make sure I didn't miss it."

He'll either say "Oh, we didn't do bonuses because of X" or he might say something vague like, "No, you didn't miss it."

At that point, start questioning. You're an attorney, you can sort this out. Something like, "Oh, no one got bonuses this past year?" You do need to get to the heart of if only you were excluded, but you need to do it in a way that doesn't automatically assume they excluded you because of the time off.

From there you can decide what you want to do. But don't go in assuming the worst - that puts everyone on the defensive.

2 months is a long time and I would think the other two lawyers in your firm had to work extra hard to make up for you not being there. If I was your boss, I would divide your bonus between the other two workers.

You could file for pregnancy discrimination if they deny you.