How many associates actually reach the annual billable hours requirement?

So who else here is experiencing plummeting billable hours and exponential weight gain since this whole WFH thing started? Bought snacks for 30 days, finished in 48 hours.

Any thoughts on Phillips Lytle? If you could please provide insight on culture/billable requirements? Thank you.

What’s the best way to turn down a 2nd interview? During the 1st interview, I learned that the compensation for the role is not within the range that I am looking for and requires 400 more billable hours a year than what I bill now. I’d basically be laterally for my current salary just to bill 400 more hours. I also wasn’t aware that the local office was strictly ID. Firm website advertises lots of practice areas. Any advice? TIA!

To the post below- it is quiet, so I’ll bite!
Does anyone know about associate compensation at the regional Atlantic Canada firms? The the big ones have all been posting job ads for associates in the 3-5 year range. Any insight on salary and billable targets?

Any insight into Jackson Lewis NYC office? Compensation, billable hours, WLB? I would be a 2-3 year

I had one of those VERY nonproductive days today. I think I accomplished maybe an hour of billable work, even though I had a bunch of stuff to do. I just came off a 300 hour month, and unexpectedly got a continuance on a deadline on Wednesday, and it’s like all of my motivation leeched out of me at once.

How is productivity measured for in-house attorneys? Is there any analog of billable hours for in-house lawyers?

Looking to leave a govt job for a junior attorney role in a small workers comp defense firm. I have no experience in workers comp. How easy is it to learn the work and make 1850 billable hours? What future opportunities does this experience give?

If you are a first year in a stub year, and significantly under billable hours requirement, do firms typically still give pro rated bonus? Do first year stub associates really ever hit their pro rated hours in those 2-3 months?

I’ve been a freelance print production designer for many years, and usually on-site in the before times. Now I work remote, and am finding it uneasy dealing with billing. Before I always billed hourly, which made sense, but it’s becoming an issue now. Some companies don’t have a full days’ work, so it seems wrong to bill full days, and it allows me to juggle projects for different companies, but my billable hours are down. I know I should bill a daily rate, but not sure that will fly. Thoughts?

What are firm’s known billable requirements? Is there a ramp up period?

Does anyone run a business in addition to their firm? I’m a solo and I’m doing pretty well with about 60-70 billable hours a month. Though that leaves a lot of downtime. Curious if anyone has any second businesses that require about 20 hours a week. Not looking for passive income or franchise ideas though.

Is it just me or the average billable work in infrastructure transactions has blown off steam in the last couple of weeks?

Weber folks! At what point do you become eligible for a yearly bonus and how is your bonus determined? Any tie to billable hours?

Anyone working as a 2 years + lawyer for Fragomen in Canada can share their salaries and working advantages? (holidays, billable hours etc). Got an interview coming up and want to make sure not to under-sale my profile!

Had 2 hours of billable work today 💀

Is there an appropriate way to turn down an assignment because it is non-billable? Two of the partners I work for keep asking me to write client bulletins and articles with them, which is great, but now I’m starting to worry about meeting my billable hours requirement.

Went from a big firm to work for a smaller firm. The people in the smaller firm are protective of their work and are good by their work too. I no longer feel chaos or stress. I am treated with respect and my schedule is more normal. I am even working more billable hours than before, but it feels like a seamless experience. I don’t work then past 5pm or anything out of the ordinary for this time of the year. I am so grateful!

With the various RTO rumors/fear out there and in the absence of spring/summer/fall(?) bonuses. Would you consider coming into the office more if your firm offered bonuses linked to days in the office (coupled with billable targets, of course)?

Is cross validation just about using different combinations of data blocks to test and train different predictive models in order to find the best model?

What do you all think of Google Performance Max?

Anyone else on the Broomfield side of Westminster up to get drinks sometime?

Hi , anyone working in Capgemini noida office,please help!!
I recieved my offer letter and the adress mentioned says sector 139,140 &142 at which i have to report on my DoJ.
So please if you can confirm what is the exact location/ sector of the office and what is the nearby localities i should find a PG/ Flat to stay, as i have to move from my home town for first time.please guide.Thanks in advance.

Your secret $-$$ diner in LA County?

Anyone from intelligent automation or RPA Team got their hike?

600sqft 1 bedroom in kips bay, $1800 (walk-up, no laundry in building, no doorman) for year lease

Would be moving from 6th floor walk up $1400 month to month in prime LES with two roommates(not my best friends but nice).

Would you move?

Considering:
1. costs to make the move itself
2. I like to run so options downtown seem better but not familiar with kips Bay Area
3. Commuting anywhere
4. Restaurants
5. I’m 23

Feeling a little lost in my new role as program manager. Any advice or recs?

Great Idea: Let's mandate RTO industry-wide to kick off flu season.

Did a bunch of agencies just go on a firing spree before Christmas?

Anyone in Toronto looking for a CD? I need to make a change. Agency or in-house (if the in-house is cool.)

How is John St these days for accounts?

How is Black Taxi doing? Is it growing? Does it have many paying clients? I haven't seen any work or heard much.

Did your agency give people the day off today for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation? And either way, which agency?

Need help from the Hivemind. I am a rising 4th year who has only been at my firm for a little over a year (after a few clerkships). I like my firm well enough, and the partners I work with like me a lot, but I’ve learned that Biglaw is not the life for me and want to get out ASAP. I’m applying to a Fed agency that I’m really excited about, but the application requires a reference from your current supervisor. I haven’t told the firm I’m thinking about leaving. How would you handle this?

Considering a jump from Chicago to New York. I truly love living in Chicago and how far this salary gets me but I definitely want to try to make it in New York.

The only problem is my significant other has a lot of negative opinions about New York. I ultimately want to return to DC but I feel like a few good years in New York would be really good for me. In terms of a place to live, where in Manhattan can I find a place that's similar to River North in Chicago?

Looking to change up my MO when it comes to organization. Litigator Hive Mind, how do you guys keep yourselves organized? Do you have a particular system? Looking for more tactile methods (post its, whiteboards, journals, etc.). The whole outlook calendar thing (while necessary) gets very cluttered very quickly and I don’t find it really advances the ball for me much.

First couple times drafting ancillary docs—is it normal to not get everything/feel like I have no idea if I got stuff right. Or is the expectation that the docs be drafted 100% in executable form.

4th year associate, 200k student loans—think I’ll be able to get a mortgage even with loans? Looking at a place for 450k. I have 3.5 years public interest work that counts towards PLSF and I plan on going back to government so I really don’t care to pay it down.

Need advice. This year I am sitting 16 of my final professional exams. I have a dissertation to do. I have my traineeship to finish. Is adderall a good idea?

Is it common for a midlevel to gossip with a first year about another first year’s work? Is it common for midlevels to trash juniors amongst themselves? I think my office is hella toxic

Let’s talk speed reading. I’m a slow reader and listened to a podcast recently on speed reading. I’m intrigued. Who here speed reads? How did you learn those skills, and what types of documents do you speed read in practice? I do mostly litigation and am thinking that speed reading would help with research but maybe not things like doc review where you need to review for both responsiveness and privilege.

Any tips for how to better implement feedback on drafts? My work is so heavily redlined that I struggle to consistently follow through with every comment/feedback. I am in patent prosecution, so it is a lot of detailed technical writing, but is also fairly formulaic, which is nice. Thankfully the partner I work with is extremely patient and a very good teacher, I would just like to be better at learning from his very thorough feedback.

Is it worth it to get someone to do your taxes as an associate (vs. using TurboTax, etc.)? Rising fourth year if that changes your thoughts.

Dear first years,

When my door is closed, I am in the middle of something and trying to focus. Please stop knocking and letting yourself in to chat. I want to help you, I really do, but if my door is closed it means I am not able to help you right this second. I promise that my door will be open when I am available to do so.

Signed,
An overwhelmed second year

Edit: any advice on how to say this IRL without crushing their spirits?

What does it mean if there’s a NEP at the firm who’s been there for a long time (20+ years), but never got promoted to EP? Never held leadership roles too. Does it usually mean EPs does not like the NEP enough to get promoted?

The NEP has a book of business, though no idea how much it brings in.

If you take vacation, is the onus on you to make up that billable time? If so, how do you enjoy long vacations?

Senior attorneys at v100, how common is it for attorneys who start at small firms to lateral to biglaw? Have you worked with any? Conventional wisdom is always that if you don’t start there it’s hard to “trade up”. My coworker and I just did it to two different great v30 firms, and I’m wondering if it’s really that uncommon? Just out of curiosity. We’re not special counsel with special niche skills or anything, just associates. Pitfalls to beware? Positives?

Dear crypto and other investments,

I have come to the realization that I absolutely do not want to work for the rest of my life. I would much rather spend my time living it up with my gf and the boys, traveling the world and living my life. Therefore, I am counting on you to not be an endless disappointment and come through clutch.

Love, someone who will go full office space if you fail me.

Partners - what was the most stressful year of your career? The year before you made partner? Your first year of partnership? The year(s) you or your partner gave birth?

How do I know Big-Law is not for me?

I am a first year who just started a couple of months ago and I am literally confused all the time. I did some small work for two partners and they loved it, so put me on new deals but the mid levels I am staffed with absolutely hate the work I do. One said the work I did was laughable. I felt bed because I spent over 25 hours on this. I wouldn’t be very bothered but the other Associates in my class are killing it. So I just feel dumb all the time.

I am curious. Any thoughts on which BigLaw firms respect their staff attorneys/discovery attorneys, and which ones don't?

Can anyone please advise on Sullivan & Worcester? Is it comparable to Big Law in terms of salary/quality of work and quality of life?

Doing a federal clerkship and thinking of my options after. Anyone in NJ/NY/PA biglaw lit group with collegial and pleasant work environment? I do not care about billable requirements/workload, just salary and don’t want to be treated like shit.