Associates at the Atlanta-based Am Law 100 firm Alston & Bird got an exciting email this week.

In a memo republished by Above the Law, chief legal talent partner Elizabeth Price announced that the 778-lawyer firm would pay out special associate bonuses to reward performance in 2020 and 2021. Paid out in June and December installments, the bonuses give an extra $7,500 to first-years and scale up to $40,000 for seventh-years and beyond, provided they bill 1,950 hours.