Schulte Roth pays market salaries, and associate salaries are based on a lock-step system.  For 2008, the firm paid half-Skadden Arps level bonuses.  The firm's bonuses are tied into hitting the 2,000-hour requirement.  Associates who billed 2,300 hours received an extra $10,000; those who hit 2,500 hours received an extra $20,000.  Associates who did not meet the 2,000-hour requirement received a bonus of $5,000 or $10,000.

First-year associates receive evaluations twice a year, and other associates are reviewed annually.  Schulte Roth has a formal mentoring program, where junior associates are paired with more senior associates.  In addition, the firm offers formal training programs on various topics, including contract drafting, brief writing, negotiation skills, and deposition skills.  The New York office offered 146 CLE programs in 2008.  Although some Lateral Link Members reported stealth layoffs had occurred at the firm, Schulte Roth issued a statement in March 2009 that 20 associates were in fact let go from the firm in the fall of 2008 for performance reasons and that any departures in 2009 were voluntary.  The firm said the layoffs were "business as usual" and not related to the economy.  The firm initiated another round of layoffs in April 2009, some of which were performance-based, some of which were due to the economic downturn.

Schulte Roth has a minimum billable hours requirement of 2,000 hours.  Associates can count up to 200 hours of pro bono, recruiting, marketing, and other approved non-billable work towards the 2,000-hour requirement.

Schulte Roth provides associates with four weeks of vacation time, and Lateral Link Members indicated that on average they take at least 15 days of vacation. The firm recently changed its policy regarding unlimited personal days and now allows associates to only take a maximum of five personal days annually; any days taken in excess of that amount will be charged as vacation days.  The firm will also only pay for a maximum of ten vacation days if an attorney is let go by the firm.  Lateral Link Members offered mixed reviews regarding face time.  Some Members report that attorneys are expected to be in the office only during normal working hours, while others stated that associates are "expected to be in the office until 7:30 p.m., absent unusual circumstances."  Some believe that the firm "requires too much face time, even when [associates are] not busy."

Schulte Roth has a Special Counsel for Pro Bono Initiatives, who works on and promotes pro bono opportunities.  The firm does not require associates to do pro bono work, but it will count up to 200 hours of pro bono time (and other non-billable work) towards the billable requirement.  On average, attorneys perform almost 50 hours of pro bono work each annually.

Schulte Roth has a one-tier partnership track, and associates are generally up for consideration between their seventh and ninth year of practice.  Lateral Link Members believe that making partner is a long shot, regardless of how hard they work.  In 2008, Schulte Roth promoted four attorneys to partnership.

In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Schulte Roth provides a subsidized cafeteria in New York and a health club membership. Incoming first-year associates receive a salary advance, reasonable relocation expenses, and reimbursement for BAR/BRI courses and bar exam fees. In lieu of the above, the Class of 2009 received a $20,000 stipend. New associates are also eligible for a prorated bonus in December.

Summer associates work in a range of practice areas and are encouraged to participate in client meetings, depositions, closings, and trials.  Each summer associate is paired with a mentor, and the firm gives summer associates continuous feedback on assignments.  Schulte Roth also offers formal training programs, which include a writing seminar, corporate transaction workshop, and a mock trial.  Summer associates also spend one week working at a public interest organization.  The firm has shortened its 2009 summer associate program to eight weeks but has announced that its 2010 summer program will be a full 11 weeks.  The start date for incoming associates has been pushed back to January 2010 and the firm is also offering a limited number of one-year public interest deferrals.  The firm made offers to approximately two-thirds of its 2009 summer associates.