I have had an insane yr- looking like I’m going to beat billable goal by 400+ hours. I’m supposed to take the last two weeks of the year off but after looking @ my todo list I’m getting severely pessimistic about being able to meet the deadlines and actually taking the PTO. All of these are court deadlines and I’m not in a position to move them. Bc of the crazy year, pandemic, etc. I am running on fumes. How do I make it these last few weeks? How do you ever take real pto in this industry?

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You take the vacation time and delegate. Court deadlines are meh, you only cancel vacations for trial. There is never a perfect time with nothing going on.

likesmart

You have to create those boundaries. If you don’t stand up for your PTO, and I mean draw a line that you will not be doing work on your vacation, it sounds like those people will burn you out entirely. Sucks they are those kinds of bosses… I’ve had those in my past…. And it’s a major reason they are IN MY PAST. But, if you want to stay, you have to make your own boundaries. If you don’t, no one will do it for you. Make sure you have leaves of absence in, and call opposing counsels and get stipulations for extensions of time agreed to (orally). That way you can go to the partners and say hey look- these are going to need someone else to touch, unless you’re okay with an extension in which case I’ll handle before and after my vacation (NOT DURING).

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Also, even if there’s no other associates, your partners are capable of doing the work themselves, even if that’s not the ideal. They’d rather have you continue to be an employee and come back post vacation rather than burning through you completely and having you just quit (if they have any sense).

smart

The terms of your employment are clear. You bill hours for them and you have a billing obligation to meet. You may have another tier to hit for a bonus. If you’ve maxed that out, you should talk to your boss about another bonus. Otherwise take the time.

If you were under your billing requirement by 400 hrs, they’d have your ass. They don’t get those additional hours for free.

You have some leverage because you’re a billing machine who’s killing it. If they know their ass from a hole in the ground, they should pay you a bonus on those extra hours.

Slightly different perspective on this.

1. Working on fumes isn’t good for you, the firm, or the client. You’ll be less efficient and it’s easier to make mistakes when you are tired. If 400+ hours has you at or beyond your limit (it’s different for everyone) and you feel you need the time, you should talk to one of your partners and tell them your concern.

2. Conversely, I have some associates that work for me that are going to make and exceed their hours by a lot this year and other associates that are going to fall short. The ones that make and exceed their hours are there for a reason: they are in demand. I reward them for it come evaluation time, I push hard for discretionary bonuses above what they would expect, and I remember it when they come up for partner.

Just some food for thought. Do what’s best for you though.

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