Tag: lawfirms

Categories
Firm Culture

Twenty-Four Hundred Hours

A young woman lying down and propping her head up, next to a giant pink alarm clock.
Photo by Koolshooters at Pexels.

I spoke to two law firm partners this week, both of whom told me that their hourly expectation was 2,400 hours per year, consisting of 2,000 billable hours and 400 non-billable hours (administration, firm events, continuing education, business promotion, and mentoring).

I set about to do some math and determine how many hours these people have to spend on their mental and physical health and personal relationships. The law firms are all advertising their  mental health initiatives, so I knew that it would be substantial!

read more about why working 2400 hours is impossible unless you are working on weekends and holidays “Twenty-Four Hundred Hours”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Big Law Does It Better

Book shelf with ladder in front of it.
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

I am willing to bet that you did not expect that headline from me!  And to be fair, I do not intend it as a general statement. What I am going to talk about is legal research, and it is a fact that Big Law does  that better than the rest of us.  While Big Law (and occasionally Medium Law) employs specialists to do their research, the rest of us  either do it ourselves or give the job to articling students, summer students, or  junior lawyers.

read more about doing research Poorly in Law Firms “Big Law Does It Better”
Categories
Fluff

If You Feed Them, They Will Come

A man and a woman having a business lunch.
Photo by Gustavo Fring at Pexels.

When I articled, if lawyers or law students worked past 6 pm, they were welcome to dine at the firm’s expense, as long as they returned to the office to work after dinner.

That sounded like a great deal to a lowly paid student, and I was impressed with how considerate the firm was. Being a slow learner, it took me a while to realize that the firm was trying to encourage lawyers to work late into the evening. It took me even longer to figure out that the lawyers would often work until just after 6 pm, go to dinner until 7:30 pm, and return to the office just long enough to be seen by some partners, and then leave.

read more about free food and law firms “If You Feed Them, They Will Come”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Let’s Talk About Recruiters

Sign that says "this must be the place"
Photo by Timmossholder at Pexels.

Lawyers struggle to attract talent who are both capable and a good fit for a firm’s culture.

If only there were consultants who firms could retain and candidates could work with, who understand the market, the culture in different firms and practice groups, the current salaries being paid by firms of all sizes, and the expectations of law firms and candidates on a multitude of issues, including work from home, vacation entitlement, bonuses, and billable hour requirements.

read more about recruiters “Let’s Talk About Recruiters”
Categories
Retirement

Retirement for Young and Old Lawyers: Part Three

Rainbow over the Seine in Paris.

In Part One, I told you to figure out what you want your retirement to look like. In Part Two I advised you to get to know yourself.

This time, a cautionary note. You need to figure out if you really want to retire or whether you are just burned out.

read more about burnout vs. retirement “Retirement for Young and Old Lawyers: Part Three”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Changing Law Firms for the Worse (Yet Again)

Woman working at computer.
Photo by Rdne at Pexels.

I was speaking to a recent retiree from a Canadian Big Law firm the other day, and she introduced a new law firm concept to me, being that of the “Practice Assistant.” Apparently at her firm they did away with the concept of Legal Assistants (formerly, a “secretary” for you very old folks) and replaced it with a Practice Assistant, or “PA.”

read more about charging clients even more “Changing Law Firms for the Worse (Yet Again)”
Categories
The Practice of Law

That Whooshing Noise

Let’s talk about deadlines. Here are two quotes to get us started:

From Douglas Adams, we give you the light-hearted Associate’s perspective: “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”

Don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security, because the truth comes from Amit Kalantri, who said: “A professional who doesn’t deliver as committed is not just lazy, he is a liar.”

read more about deadlines “That Whooshing Noise”
Categories
The Practice of Law

Consistently Chaotic

Office in shambles.
Photo by Cottonbro at Pexels

Early in my articles, a senior partner named David asked me to draft a document and gave me a precedent to use. David approved my draft but asked me to show it to Bob, a more junior partner. Bob told me that I had left out an important clause and asked me if David had approved my drafting. When I assured him that David had thought the draft was fine, Bob rolled his eyes and I understood that Bob did not hold David in high regard.

read more about inconsistent standards in law firms “Consistently Chaotic”
Categories
The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

Greed

A super yacht.
Photo by Diego F. Parra at Pexels.

Whoever Dies With The Most Stuff Wins

–David Mitchell

The other day someone asked me why so many lawyers work excessive hours on the road to mental and physical health issues, divorce, and addiction.

The answer is simple. It is greed.

read more about greed in the legal profession “Greed”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Vacation Frustration

A lake at sunset with trees in the distance.

A junior Associate at a law firm  called me the other day to complain. There is nothing unusual about that. Associates complain a lot, often with good reason.

Her complaint this time was that she told H.R. that she needed to take a day off for a personal reason and was informed that she had only two choices. She could take the day as vacation or unpaid.

read more about dumb vacation policies at law firms “Vacation Frustration”