After two months of waiting since Milbank’s July 27 announcement, Cahill Gordon & Reindel announced it will match the special Milbank bonuses, with payouts scheduled for October 15.
The firm cited associates’ “extraordinary efforts” in an internal memo announcing the match.
Bloomberg Law data in the memo context show Cahill had $502 million in revenue last year and near-$6 million profits per partner in 2025, which supports the firm’s ability to match.
This is the first public Biglaw match of Milbank’s special bonuses since Milbank announced them on July 27.
Milbank announced a special bonus program on July 27 that set a new compensation benchmark for large law-firm associates. Since that announcement, observers and associates have been waiting to see which other major firms would match the special bonuses and when.
At the end of September, Cahill Gordon & Reindel became the first Biglaw firm publicly reported to match Milbank's special bonus scale. The firm sent associates an internal memo thanking them for their "extraordinary efforts" and confirming the match.
The memo states the special bonuses will be paid on October 15. The announcement arrives roughly two months after Milbank's July 27 disclosure and marks the first confirmed Biglaw match of those special bonuses.
The memo's context included financial indicators that help explain the firm's capacity to make the payout. Bloomberg Law coverage cited in reporting notes Cahill's recent financial performance: revenue reached $502 million last year, and profits per partner approached $6 million in 2025. That financial trajectory—double-digit growth expected and strong partner profitability—was presented alongside the memo as a practical reason Cahill could distribute a sizable special bonus.
Prior coverage shows other firms and boutiques have moved on salary and bonus scales this year. Some boutiques matched Milbank's salary scale earlier in the summer, and other firms have issued compensation updates of various kinds. But until this Cahill announcement, no major Am Law 100 firm had publicly confirmed a match of Milbank's special bonuses.
For Cahill associates, the match is a confirmed, dated payment: October 15. For associates at other firms, the Cahill move serves as the first visible example of a Biglaw firm publicly aligning with Milbank's special bonus approach. Firms that have been slower to respond may now face pressure to announce their own decisions on special bonuses or other compensation adjustments.
If you work at a firm and your compensation memo or bonus announcement isn't public, the reporting outlet that covered this match (Above the Law) asks associates to share memos via text or email so they can update coverage. That's a channel other associates use to confirm and compare compensation developments.
Cahill's matching of Milbank's special bonus scale is the first public Biglaw match since the July 27 announcement. The firm scheduled payouts for October 15 and framed the decision as a response to associates' extraordinary efforts, with recent revenue and partner-profit figures cited as supporting context.
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