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Coach
Yes, almost everyone. That's why you guys are so hard to find.
Subject Expert
It’s the worst position in the legal business.
Yes. Each day I wake up dreaming of quitting.
Same
I just want to flip out every time an associate says their assignment will be late to me, because that means I have to find time to review it and heavily edit it. But I don’t flip out. Sometimes they get me nothing or next to nothing with half a day to get it to the partner. But I don’t flip out. Then the partners want you to be the client contact, take the lead on things you haven’t done before, multiple times a week in multiple cases. Then you bill only 7-8 hours per day and you’re like wait, why are my hours low? I’m literally doing everything. This role is better measured in blood pressure spikes than in hours.
Subject Expert
That’s why it’s the worst job. You have to manage down, which often means fixing crappy work done by more junior lawyers, many of whom couldn’t care less because they know you’ll fix it. You’re not doing the work but god forbid the work not be perfect when it gets to Mr. BSD partner. And don’t even think of bitching about their crappy work, because (I) no one really cares and (ii) that just shows you don’t know how to manage (and did I say no one cares?).
Then you have to manage up with partners who want things done perfectly but often don’t want to be bothered to do anything to help out (and lord help you if you go above budget), including checking their email, answering questions (or following the case for that matter) or even providing the logistical support you need. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy again.
I don’t mind the hours. Just not knowing answers kills me.
Subject Expert
Depends how senior is senior maybe. I found like 6th-7th year super hard, so much responsibility, people expecting you to know answers and make judgment calls you aren’t sure how to make, overworked and/or unmotivated juniors whose work I had to constantly do over etc. I feel more settled now a few years later, more comfortable in my skill set and more willing to let small stuff go. I’m also not gunning for partner, though.
Subject Expert
C1, absolutely. That’s a good point. My level of all nighters has gone way down because I’m less anxious about pushing back, there’s zero chance of them laying off someone with my skillset in this deal flow and I just run out of more ducks every year.
Yes. The stress and anxiety are so intense.
Yeap, I just got thrown under the bus by my first year associate on a team call when the partner asked her about an assignment.
A piece of work that was late by 3 weeks, and she just sent it to me the morning before the call and had the cheek to say "Oh I completed it and sent it to XYZ so it's with him now." on the call.
Coach
It might have been, but that depends on context of the conversation in which it was said. If someone asked me about something I sent in the morning, I may or may not mention the timing depending on how the conversation shapes, but either way, there is no throwing anybody under the bus here. The most the senior has to do is just say something along the lines of "i didn't have time to take a look at it carefully this morning."
I get it, having to supervise people and being responsible for them sucks, but at some point you just have to realize that you have some agency in these relationships. You can't just sit back and expect juniors to do things perfectly all the time, and just complain when they don't. Also, if you are THAT worried about being thrown under the bus because a junior didn't phrase things perfectly, the problem is really either you or the partner.