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Robins Kaplan has raised its judicial clerkship bonuses to $150,000 for lawyers who complete one qualifying clerkship and $175,000 for those who complete two or more. The national trial firm announced the change on Tuesday 21 October, according to LawFuel.
Chair and Managing Partner Anthony Froio said judicial clerks bring "firsthand insight into how judges evaluate arguments," which is "especially valuable at a firm built around high-stakes litigation and trials."
$50,000 increase marks a 50% rise over Robins Kaplan's 2020 bonus
The new single-clerkship figure is $50,000 higher than the $100,000 bonus Robins Kaplan introduced in 2020 (per Robins Kaplan), a 50 percent increase, as Above the Law reported. The firm was among the first to put a six-figure value on clerkship experience. The 2020 bonus also came with credit toward partnership consideration, per Robins Kaplan.
The bonus applies to federal district and appellate clerks recruited nationwide. Advancement credit and compensation are tied to clerkship experience, per LawFuel. Robins Kaplan raised starting associate salaries to $180,000 in September 2021, per Robins Kaplan.
Boies Schiller matched, Hueston Hennigan ahead at $205,000
The revised bonus matches Boies Schiller at $150,000 and $175,000 but remains below several rivals. Quinn Emanuel pays $175,000 for one clerkship and $200,000 for two. Susman Godfrey and Munger Tolles pay $180,000 and $200,000. Cravath pays $125,000 and $150,000, per Ideal Talent Group. Munger Tolles matched Susman Godfrey's figures in October 2026.
Hueston Hennigan has the highest published figure. The firm raised its federal clerkship bonus to $205,000 for clerks joining in 2027, after setting the previous high at $180,000 in March 2025, per Above the Law.
The increases have come in stages: Robins Kaplan's $100,000 in 2020, Susman Godfrey's $125,000 in April 2022, Cravath's $125,000 in March 2024, Boies Schiller's $150,000 in December 2024, and Hueston Hennigan and Quinn Emanuel in March 2025, per Ideal Talent Group.
Clerkship bonuses concentrated among trial boutiques, not full-service firms
The firms paying these amounts are trial and litigation boutiques rather than full-service Biglaw firms, per Ideal Talent Group. The bonuses target associates with federal clerkship experience and are separate from market-wide associate pay. The work centers on high-stakes litigation and trial practice, where former clerks bring legal analysis, writing, advocacy and knowledge of court procedure, per LawFuel. Above the Law noted that boutiques move quickly to match rivals' increases.
Robins Kaplan's 2026 partner promotions and lateral hires
Robins Kaplan has expanded its litigation bench through 2026 alongside the bonus change. It promoted Marcus Guith, Sean O'Connor and Raoul Shah to partner effective 1 January 2026, per Minnesota Lawyer.
It added William Kolb as a partner in New York and brought back partner Sharon Roberg-Perez in October 2026. It also added counsel Bahram Samie in Minneapolis and of counsel Brinton Scott in Los Angeles, per Robins Kaplan. The firm also named a new deputy chair of its national business litigation group and a new deputy managing partner in Los Angeles in 2026, per Law360 Pulse.
The published figures point to a bonus tied specifically to courtroom experience, separate from the wider associate pay scale. A small group of litigation firms has driven the increases. Robins Kaplan's new figure brings it back to the Boies Schiller level, while Hueston Hennigan, Quinn Emanuel, Susman Godfrey and Munger Tolles remain higher. The increases follow nearly four years of matching moves among the same trial firms.
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