[ Associate Compensation & Benefits ]

Benefits and Perks

Selendy Gay Elsberg offers a benefits package that significantly enhances associate compensation and supports their well-being. In addition to covering our associates’ medical, dental, and vision plans in their entirety, our benefits range from market-leading fertility benefits and generous parental leave policies, to sizable retirement contributions and associate budgets for relationship-building and professional development activities. Few firms come close to what we offer.

Below is a more detailed explanation of our benefits:

• We cover 100% of employee standard medical, dental, and vision plans, with among the best medical plans available in the market. By contributing more than double of what BigLaw contributes to health care coverage, SGE enables our associates to take home more of their salaries than peers at other firms.
• We are committed to helping associates plan for their future. We offer a unique, industry-leading benefit: a 401k contribution for associates. 3% of associates’ earnings (up to the yearly IRS cap of $9,900 for 2023) is deposited into their retirement plans, regardless of any self-contribution.
• We offer 12 weeks of parental leave for everyone, plus an additional 8 weeks for birthing mothers or primary caregivers. Associates are also eligible for additional remote work immediately following their leave. Our policies allow all new parents to be home for a total of 20-22 weeks, ensuring they enjoy their child’s first moments.
• We partner with Maven to provide top-of-the-market fertility benefits. For associates on the firm’s medical insurance plan, we offer $75,000 towards reproductive and fertility services, including egg freezing, IVF procedures, surrogacy, and adoption. We are proud to offer this inclusive benefit to all of our employees so that everyone, equally, can start or grow their family.
• $2,500 annual business development budget to encourage our associates to build and maintain a network of professional contacts.
• $1,000 office decorating budget to ensure your space reflects who you really are.
• $150 monthly subsidy towards Equinox or a membership to ClassPass, which provides access to a wide network of gyms, fitness studios, salons, and spas.
• One-on-one sessions with a performance coach to help associates reach their full potential.

Salary 

We offer associates salaries based on their years of practice, as reflected in the year they graduated from law school. Class years may be adjusted based on associates’ specific work histories. We pay salaries at the top of the market, with first-year associates earning $215,000 per year.

Annual Bonus

We pay associates performance-based, year-end bonuses. Associates who perform well can expect to receive bonuses that exceed the national market scale for top firms.

Clerkship Bonus

We pay one-time bonuses to associates who join us directly from qualifying clerkships. An associate who joins us directly from one such clerkship will receive a $100,000 bonus and an associate who joins us directly from two such consecutive clerkships will receive a $125,000 bonus. We offer additional bonuses for associates joining us directly from clerkships for the Supreme Court of the United States.

Bar Fees and Expenses. We pay annual bar fees for all associates. For associates who have not yet taken the New York bar examination (for example, new law school graduates), we pay the costs of examination fees and one preparation course.

Moving Expenses. For incoming associates relocating to New York City, we pay reasonable one-time moving expenses.