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Law360 (April 22, 2020, 5:03 PM EDT) -- Mukasey Frenchman & Sklaroff LLP has decided to give bonuses to its lawyers and staff members to recognize their commitment to the boutique trial firm, in contrast to a growing list of BigLaw firms taking cost-cutting measures during the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Founding partner Marc L. Mukasey commended his team for not missing a conference, filing or call while simultaneously taking care of themselves and their families during the ongoing pandemic.
"It was important for me to let our people know that their contributions to the firm and its clients and our mission, which is to handle the challenging and complicated cases of the 2020s, is really appreciated right now," he said Wednesday. "They've upheld that mission and they're doing it under difficult circumstances."
Six lawyers and staff members are receiving the bonuses as lump-sum payments. Mukasey declined to disclose the amount, but said each employee will net the same payment.
He declined to comment about his firm's financial position beyond the bonuses.
In March 2019, Mukasey launched the New York-based firm with Robert S. Frenchman and Jeffrey B. Sklarof. All three lawyers are former Greenberg Traurig LLP partners.
Since the firm opened, it has focused on maintaining a lean trial team, Mukasey said Wednesday.
"Our firm isn't so much a law firm as it is a trial team," he said.
The three founding partners worked together on several trials while at Greenberg Traurig, including the successful defense of former bond trader Michael Gramins, who was acquitted by a jury on eight out of nine charges in his high-profile case.
Elsewhere in the legal industry, a growing list of firms have made staff cuts, paused partner compensation distributions and reduced associate and senior administrative staff pay to weather the storm caused by the novel coronavirus.
This week, DLA Piper International LLP, Clifford Chance LLP, Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC, Venable LLP and Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP are among the firms that have confirmed a series of measures aimed at blunting the impact of the coronavirus, including pay freezes and, in some cases, reductions.
Some firms have adjusted their summer associate programs to be virtual, as the majority of the workforce continues to work remotely to follow social distancing guidelines.
In the U.S. as of Wednesday afternoon, at least 44,575 deaths have been linked to COVID-19, and there are more than 802,580 cases in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and American territories, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
--Additional reporting by Emma Cueto and Xiumei Dong. Editing by Stephen Berg.
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