Davis Polk, if not the emergent leader this year in compensation, is absolutely a frontrunner in setting the compensation scale.

— New York legal recruiter Sharon Mahn, commenting on Davis Polk’s rise to glory as Biglaw’s compensation leader throughout the pandemic years. From its Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 special bonuses, to its setting of the lockstep salary scale for associates, to its latest round of special year-end bonuses, Davis Polk has completely changed the financial scene for lawyers at large firms.

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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 Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Associate Bonus Watch 2021, Associate Compensation, Biglaw, Bonuses, Davis Polk, Money, Quote of the Day