Related Posts
Blow me one last kiss 😘
Anyone worried about layoffs?
Do utilizations don’t matter in June?
I am incapable of doing hard work 🥴
What’s your biggest legal mal concern?

Additional Posts in Lawyers with ADHD
Everything always takes me so long to do :/
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.



I was diagnosed with cancer during my fourth year of practice. The firm was very vague about what the expectations for me actually were, but I ultimately got through chemo and surgery without “officially” taking (much) time off. I collected my full salary less the state-paid leave I went on during the month I took off for surgery (I’m in a state with a paid leave program that runs concurrently with the federal FMLA). So, ultimately I was made whole financially. My hours requirement was prorated, but I was still very far from meeting it because, well, hello cancer. The firm was nice about it—said it was more important that I get healthy and well enough to bill hours in the future rather than worry about the hours I wasn’t billing then! Honestly, that sort of kindness has kept me here longer than I otherwise would have been. The following year, I repaid the kindness by smashing the associate billing and profitability records in my practice group.
Your best bet may be to consult an employment lawyer just to check to make sure you’re being treated fairly! And…what goes around comes around. Name the good firms. Shame the bad ones.
So glad you are better! I went with the I want a new job route instead and I quit this job 😁
If your firm provides PTO/sick leave, they should pay you the hourly rate for those hours. If you use up your available paid leave hours, you're in the same boat as all other hourly employees. They will probably accommodate your physical health issues by allowing unpaid leave, but they cannot be expected to pay you for not working due to an illness/condition that is totally unrelated to your job. I'm sure many of us would like to be paid for just staying home. In fact, there's a couple of associates in this office that I would be willing to chip into a pool to pay them to stay home. It would be less work for me because I wouldn't have to constantly be redoing their work as well as keeping up with mine.
They have been paying me but I asked about taking unpaid leave in mid June when I noticed my hours really started to tank and it was “oh you have more PTO let’s cross the bridge when we come to it”
Then come a couple weeks later and it’s “your hours are really low are you ‘back’ or not? You have to work extra to catch up and you must meet your hours for July. I think we can work out something of a new goal but we have to be flexible.
Meanwhile I’m still undergoing testing and idk? Idk every day whether I’ll be able to do a full day or not. My attention is zapped.
Have a note from Dr giving you flexible FMLA