Biglaw Firm Delays Paying Raises And Bonuses, Leaving Lawyers Wondering Where Their Money Is

Try as it might, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith can’t seem to keep its name out of headlines that cast the firm in a negative light.

In recent years, the firm suffered a defection en masse, when more than 100 attorneys left to join a (now defunct) boutique firm. Shortly thereafter, Robert “Bob” Lewis, the firm’s founder and then chair, decided to step down. At the time, Lewis was one of the longest-serving chairs of any Am Law 100 firm. Lewis then decided to retire early, taking several of his family members with him. Now, the bad news has hit the firm’s compensation systems — and lawyers are none too pleased.

Back in February, Lewis Brisbois promised lawyers that change was coming to their salaries and bonuses as the firm attempted to leave its drama in the past. Chief Operating Officer Rich Davis noted in an email (available on the next page) that because the firm had implemented “new processes” to “recogniz[e] strong performance and reward[] deserving talent,” that hours-based formulaic bonuses (typically paid in the February 15 pay period) would be delayed by one month, while merit salary increases and discretionary bonuses would be paid out on time during the March 31 pay period.

The March 31 pay period has now come and gone, but not all Lewis Brisbois attorneys have received their salary increases and discretionary bonuses. In another email from Davis (available on the next page), he states that changes to compensation “presented some logistical challenges” that impacted payment timing. We’ve been told that this email was received by lawyers across the country, ranging from California to the Midwest to Florida. Here’s an excerpt from that email:

Regrettably, the base raise and discretionary bonuses for attorneys in your office were not able to be processed in time to be reflected in the March 31st pay cycle. These amounts will be reflected in your checks for the April 15th pay cycle. The base pay increases will be retroactive to January 1, so this unfortunate delay will impact the timing of payments, but not the net amounts received.

Meanwhile, insiders at the firm tell Above the Law that only a limited number of attorneys at the firm have received their compensation memos, meaning that very few people know what their salary increases will be. “What a disaster,” said one of our sources. “Why would any recent law grad or lateral want to come to a firm that pays bonuses and raises late?”

Best of luck to associates, of counsel, and nonequity partners at the firm who have been kept (im)patiently waiting on their raises and bonuses. We certainly hope lawyers at the firm receive their money on Tax Day.

(Flip to the next page to read the emails sent by Lewis Brisbois COO Rich Davis.)

Remember everyone, we depend on your tips to stay on top of compensation updates, so when your firm announces or matches, please text us (646-820-8477) or email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Bonus/Matches”). Please include the memo if available. You can take a photo of the memo and send it via text or email if you don’t want to forward the original PDF or Word file.

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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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