legal professionals

[Livia]

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

I really hate attorneys. god.

I may have discussed this, but anyway, I spent pretty much all of the week before last prepping for trial and getting stuff together for the Trial Director presentations, etc. it was a long, horrible ordeal. I ended up staying here til like 7 each night while the attorneys went to the supper club upstairs and drank wine. anyway, fast forward. they settled yesterday. basically, we got what we wanted. the attorney that went to trial came back and sent an email to the head partner to tell him how things went and said he couldn't have done it without the support of...yeah, you guessed it...the other attorneys that helped him. of course word trickled down. he thanked those attorneys that basically sat around and drank wine while myself and a secretary actually put all the docs together so that he could make his presentation and "win" this case. asshole. w/e.

Settling before trial is par for the course, and annoying as hell. However, not giving YOU credit is unacceptable. Do you have to record your time? I'd make sure the head partner knows exactly how much time you spent on that case.

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by Livia

Settling before trial is par for the course, and annoying as hell. However, not giving YOU credit is unacceptable. Do you have to record your time? I'd make sure the head partner knows exactly how much time you spent on that case.

the thing is, we settled a week into trial because the presentations scared/impressed/w/e the defense (we are plaintiff's counsel on this one) so much that they finally offered to settle, having not offered a penny until now. the Trial Director presentation I put together.

and yes, I have to bill. I hate it, but we'll see how they like those 80 hr weeks.

[amber]

Originally Posted by skcin

So they're still really jerky, huh? That sucks. It seems like they just don't like you, for whatever reason. You're the "new girl" right? Perhaps you don't fit into their clique. While it makes your work environment sucky, I wouldn't let them know I was bothered. Never let them see you sweat. Or just walk up & say "why can't you just be polite & reply to my greeting? Jerk."

It's not as bad, no. And there's one girl there who's funny and normal. The boys, whatever. If they want to say something, fine, if not, they're douchebags anyway. The other girl is off and on, so, I just see which is that day, and don't bug her and whatnot, and just think she's a turd when she has no good morning.
They don't see me sweat, cause I don't care as much anymore. But I acted normal before, anyways. Although I do literally sweat, as it's a half hour bike ride.

[amber]

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

the thing is, we settled a week into trial because the presentations scared/impressed/w/e the defense (we are plaintiff's counsel on this one) so much that they finally offered to settle, having not offered a penny until now. the Trial Director presentation I put together.

and yes, I have to bill. I hate it, but we'll see how they like those 80 hr weeks.

That is really cool, though, Jaz! Like, an accomplishment. I'm sure all the wine drinking lawyers know who really saves their ass, that is why they can never say it or admit it, then they'd be forced to...uh...not take credit for stuff and give you more money.
Don't you keep all your ass saving hard work carefully recorded so as to use it in review/raise time?

[amber]

Originally Posted by Livia

I'm the type that would practically scream, "Good MORNING!" and wave my hands around until I got noticed. Which would also get me in trouble.

Or answer myself. "Good morning, Amber, how are YOU today?" More trouble.

It is SO tempting to do that. I can get away with it with certain attorneys and staff members, but there are a few I wouldn't DARE speak to that way.

Wow, you read my mind. The office is kind of small for me to make a big thing. I mean the amount of people, not the actual office. It's like, they have their flow and their thing and their personalities set, so its better to ignore it. Plus, everyone wicked makes fun of each other, so, you know, I don't need to be in the crossfire of THAT. Or how they talk behind backs, I don't need that crossfire either.
Plus, a couple of the people there are so complainy (the main front paralegal, I swear she yells "****!" anytime anything happens. Yet, plays sodoku and hangman for a good portion of the day. If she filed in her free time, they wouldn't have to hire me) that it's kind of new and fun to be the calm one who doesn't talk smack and get all pouty, and keeps up good spirits. They mostly have pretty bad 'tudes, in a benign way, but they're all used to each other with it. It's like a fricking family, barf. A family of malcontents. Also, all the guys think they are funny, and if they didn't say it, it's not funny. Naturally, me and the other nice girl are the funniest. As we've all noticed, lawyers like to keep credit to themselves.

I'm just the file/phone/medical records/copy ****/find ****/mail ****/write letters/wipe asses girl.

[amber]

Originally Posted by Livia

I'm the type that would practically scream, "Good MORNING!" and wave my hands around until I got noticed. Which would also get me in trouble.

Or answer myself. "Good morning, Amber, how are YOU today?" More trouble.

It is SO tempting to do that. I can get away with it with certain attorneys and staff members, but there are a few I wouldn't DARE speak to that way.

Wow, you read my mind. I answered myself once or twice.
The office is kind of small for me to make a big thing. I mean the amount of people, not the actual office. It's like, they have their flow and their thing and their personalities set, so its better to ignore it. Plus, everyone wicked makes fun of each other, so, you know, I don't need to be in the crossfire of THAT. Or how they talk behind backs, I don't need that crossfire either.
Plus, a couple of the people there are so complainy (the main front paralegal, I swear she yells "****!" anytime anything happens. Yet, plays sodoku and hangman for a good portion of the day. If she filed in her free time, they wouldn't have to hire me) that it's kind of new and fun to be the calm one who doesn't talk smack and get all pouty, and keeps up good spirits. They mostly have pretty bad 'tudes, in a benign way, but they're all used to each other with it. It's like a fricking family, barf. A family of malcontents. Also, all the guys think they are funny, and if they didn't say it, it's not funny. Naturally, me and the other nice girl are the funniest. As we've all noticed, lawyers like to keep credit to themselves.

I'm just the file/phone/medical records/copy ****/find ****/mail ****/write letters/wipe asses girl.

[JazmenFlowers]

we've been really slow the past week and a half. like, really slow. it's so weird how things turn on a dime in a law firm. one minute you're working til midnight and the very next day everything's dead. this time, it's because our mediation was postponed due to the mediator being sick. it was supposed to happen in mid-October and then got pushed back to end of November. so, we have over a month to kind of piddle around. it's nice to have some downtime to clean up databases and do other things I've been putting off, but I see my "to do" list start clearing out and I start to panic. billable hours, you know! yesterday afternoon I actually got bored.

[Betsy]

Today is Monday.

Today is absolutely nuts.

There's gonna be some good-old-fashioned mug slinging done ~ and I wore my good clothes.....

Is it nuts at any other workplace today?

[Livia]

Not too bad today...but it's gonna get real bad soon. Last week, one of our legal secretaries gave her less-than-2-week-notice. I hope karma bites her in the arse for that...but she's only 21 and a total flake, so I guess it was to be expected. She and her boyfriend are allowing themselves to get evicted, cuz it's cheaper than breaking their lease, they're moving back to the Dallas area.

This morning, I reminded one of HER attorneys that since she gave her notice, no one has asked me to place an ad for her replacement. His response, "Oh, I know, I'm gonna talk to (managing partner) about it." I know it will take at least a month to sort through resumes, interview, and hire a replacement. Then we'll have to train her, since the flake will be long gone already....

[Betsy]

Originally Posted by Livia

Not too bad today...

... She and her boyfriend are allowing themselves to get evicted, cuz it's cheaper than breaking their lease,

...Then we'll have to train her, since the flake will be long gone already....

I am finding humor in your post.

They hired yet, another baby lawyer. So my patience isn't full of "the milk of human kindness" today.

He wanted to know how to apply to be a notary. When I told him the process, he didn't want to wait that long, but wanted to borrow my seal ....

That young pup doesn"t have his eyes open.

[Livia]

Does he know that notaries cannot notarize their own documents?

[Betsy]

The vast sum of what he does/does not know could fill volumes. It is the arrogance with which he speaks to me, and his demeanor, that make for the smile in my heart and the blank expression on my face.

It's like the old expression....give him enough rope....and he will hang himself.

[Livia]

He sounds like one of mine...fresh out of law school? I've got to find that email I sent to Bruce last week about her, and copy and paste it here.

Edit: Found it! I've redacted her name....here's part one:

Ugh! I am SOOO sick of _________ making her condescending remarks like I'm a poodle that just mastered a new trick. Whenever I need to explain something to her (for the 100th time), or correct her...she always says things like, "Thanks for catching that! GOOD JOB!!!!!!" And I'm like, "Well, if you'd f*ckin' listen to me and/or do it right the first time, I wouldn't HAVE to correct you...repeatedly...do I get a doggie-treat now?"

Bruce's response was basically, "Tell that beeyotch to stfu."

Part 2 (yes, we really write this way to each other - kudos if you can catch all the lyric and movie quote references):

Next time she praises me, I should say, "I'm not lookin' for a pat on the head, just some conformity on your part. You've worked here a year now and we've been over (and over) this stuff repeatedly; I'm not asking you to do anything different than what ALL the other attorneys here do..." It's not just the fake praise, she gets defiant and still wants to do things her way. Why must EVERYthing be a CONTEST?! I'm just extra-annoyed with it all right now because while I'm STILL trying to get ____________ on the conformity wagon, in the back of my mind (where you live all the time), I'm dreading ______'s departure, the extra work it will bring to my plate and having to train ___________'s replacement. I was just on the phone with ___________ and told her about _____________ - and that in my perfect world - we'd have someone hired and trained before ________'s last day. But since (I am) NO ONE has asked me to even place an ad to begin our search, that ain't gonna happen...

[Betsy]

Graduated in June and passed the bar in October...do they get any younger than that?

[Livia]

Well, I don't have to worry about baby attorney anymore. They fired her! I'm pretty shocked...When I came in this morning, the receptionist told me that she wouldn't be in today. A few minutes later, one of my attorneys, a sr. partner, told me that they had a board meeting yesterday and decided to let her go. According to him, their decision was based on our anticipated workload and revenue. Given my own experience with her, and having to train and re-train her the simplest tasks, like filling out a form correctly, I suspect the reason the partner gave me wasn't the only reason. I feel like they didn't feel confident giving her cases - she always had to be hand-held and monitored. Oh well...

Now that's one less attorney I have to support. I'm wondering if I'll get one of the other attorneys, or more administrative work to do??

We interviewed 2 people this morning for the vacant legal secretary position...