Did anyone not meet their billable hours requirement during their first year of employment? If so, how did your firm react? 😬

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Partners took me into a broom closet and beat me with socks full of nickels.

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Nobody cares. First year hours are barely real and most of them get written off anyway. Relax.

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To clarify, I am not a first year attorney. I am 4 years in. I am referring to not meeting billables during my first year at a new firm.

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In that case I would aim for 80-90%. It depends on your group and how quickly they are able to onboard you. I feel like it takes several months.

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Not an issue. Do good work, have confidence with your partners, and make the clients happy. Those are the most important things.

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This is really the best advice you can give a first year. If you do these things, you'll meet your hours. If you do these things, and you still can't meet your hours, then that's on the firm, not you.

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Me. Nothing. I’m pretty sure I never hit billables during my law firm years. Clients and partners trusted my work and judgment.

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Yes and they didn't really care. Partner made some snarky comment but I got great reviews and hit the next year

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Straight to Montego Bay, with Al Qaeda

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Any reasonable partner will recognize that newer attorneys can only do the work they get assigned. If you're not getting enough billable hours, that's on the assigning partners, not you (assuming your work is solid and there isn't some other reason you're not getting assignments). When we review mid-level and senior associates, no one cares about the hours in their first year or two.

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Just don't exceed your billable requirements by too much, because then it's _expected_

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There’s always a few months of ramp up; I wouldn’t worry about this.

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I didn’t hit my billables my first two years

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Just remember, fudging numbers is a thing. In the end, however, it’s better (and ethical) to have real numbers that might fall short, and double down and improving, than making them up.

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I don’t think anyone will care unless it happens your second year, too (and even then maybe not the end of the world unless the group is otherwise very busy, etc.) First years stress too much! Enjoy the ride a little more

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Better that and have them improve, than have good numbers that go down. Just show work ethic and commitment to improvement - you’re an investment anyway. And if there is a good reason why they’re low, make sure the firm understands (and that it isn’t a reoccurring thing).

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