I just realized I’m the mean associate that everyone is afraid of. I overheard a group of interns talking about how I scare them, and it broke my heart because I remember being exactly like them. I’ve become so focused on perfection and efficiency that I’ve forgotten how to be a human being to the people working under me. How do you soften your edge?

Hi All,

Anyone who got retained recently in LTI, please let me know, need some help.

Real estate / real estate finance associates, is everyone still crazy busy or are you noticing a bit of a slow down? I’m at an Am Law 20 and was crazy this year through most of the summer, but have seen a pull back in workload / deal flow the past few weeks.

I have to keep reminding myself that I don't need validation from certain people. It's hard.

Guy stood me and my friends up (he’s with his friends), then texted us 3 hours later to come to a different bar where he and his friends are, and apologized profusely. Said no. Do I forgive him tomorrow?

Anyone want to run Bain-style cases with me?

Sunday Wordle 449 5/6

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Accenture, you good mate? Too much turkey?

Can you cut 18mg Delmosart (i.e. Concerta) to get 2x 9mg?

How do you get out of the burnout cycle? I’ve felt overwhelmed for a while and now I’m in the “can’t function at all” stage. It’s so hard explaining this to my manager because I already have a workload that’s lighter than others (not because of performance or my request). Any tips on how to get re-engaged, since the overwhelming feeling will come back?

Just here to say I’m so thankful we have this safe space. People who aren’t diagnosed generally have misconceptions about ADHD and its symptoms, and I’m so grateful we have this bowl to seek help, learn from one another, and sometimes just vent! With all the negativity in the world, this bowl is that one ray of sunshine I so desperately need, so thank you everyone for what you have done and what you’ll continue to do!

Could you share what sort of severance package you received if your role was impacted due to recent tech layoffs?

What will be in hand salary per month for fixed pay 20 LPA in EY GDS after tax deduction?

I’ve been holding it together pretty well this entire year, but with the holidays coming up and realizing I won’t be with my family for Christmas I’m starting to break and not sure how to keep it together enough to keep working this week. Anyone else feeling this sudden rush of emotion?

Anyone else feel like that if they aren’t doing the work themselves then it’s never done correctly? Doesn’t matter what it is - admin to client work - always materially incorrect. Also, doesn’t matter what training I give them - a quick overview or an in-depth working session. And then the Partners ask why I’m exhausted all the time.

Anyone have experience working for a hedge fund? If so, positives / negatives?

Last associates committee meeting is coming up. Partners have asked each associate to come up with... not one... but FIVE marketing ideas. Other than reeling out “we offer competitive pay” in job postings, what are some good ones your firm does?

I’m struggling a bit. If I knew how to market well, I certainly wouldn’t be in this position.

How to handle the dual employment in BGV? I have a friend who have a overlap of 30-40 days from his last organization which is not disclosed in CV and with current organization. I feel UAN check will spoil it but his overlap is cuz he wasn't able to return assets back during COVID. Any suggestions?

I am a new (lateral) associate at a small firm where everyone currently works from the office. When I started, I wasn’t told specific firm hours. I’ve tried to figure out when to come and go based upon when the partners arrive and leave, but their schedules are very inconsistent. The other associates don’t have helpful guidance for me. Assuming that if I ask the partners they’ll say to use my discretion, what are reasonable hours to keep?

Any thoughts on Legility vs. Relativity in terms of eDiscovery software? Or is there another I’m not aware of?

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.

What is everyone’s: (1) billable hours this year; (2) practice group; (3) year; and (4) size of law firm?

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.

Does anyone know how litigation finance works on the plaintiff side? If someone wanted to bring a lawsuit against their former employer would a general contingency arrangement with a plaintiff’s firm make sense? Or would one need to find funding and then contact a plaintiff’s firm to actually handle the case? I’m a transactional lawyer, so this is out of my wheelhouse.

Does anyone know sports arbitration or general arbitration well? Have been a figure skating fan my entire life and am curious whether the judgement of recent Valieva case makes sense to you.

What is the scoop on med mal defense vs. plaintiff work? Is defense more respected by other practice areas if I were to switch somewhere else later?

I applied to a position that brands itself as civil litigation and apparently the role is med mal defense. Not sure what to go by but would like to do a little research before I call them back.

Considering becoming a consultant lawyer. Any advice/tips from someone who made that move?

I don’t want to make partner, and I want to stay in big law for 2-3 years, do you suggest I just do the bare minimum for hours or should I still be doing as much work as possible?

Transactional associate. Lateraled 6 months ago and one of the biggest pain points has been my new firm’s inclination to “hop on a call”, which of course requires every single stakeholder to join. The end result being every call has 25 people on it and nothing actually gets done because no one wants to ask a question that could come off as silly. It’s destroying my ability to get anything done during the day. It’s a complete performance and it drives me nuts.

Any tips when leaving a firm? Younger associate <1 year.

I am lead counsel on a case - we’re suing 3 businesses and my supervisor is a named incorporator of one of the businesses although he is not an officer. He is asking me to bring the file and meet with him about the progress of the case. I reminded him of the conflict and he stated that the conflict was resolved because he also has a claim against 1 of the companies that he recently filed separately. I don’t see how that resolved the conflict…and he’s fully pressuring me to meet. How to respond?

Rising 2L here…Just found out yesterday that one of my top target law firms is not participating in OCIs (they don’t have offices in my state). Any advice on the best way to move forward with them? Still planning to apply, just want to know what I should be doing. Thanks!

Well I learned my lesson. Never work with Wells Fargo. Any good banks I should switch to?

Just had a hearing on my motion to compel where OC told the judge we hadn’t conferred before filing the motion. Not only did I attempt to confer on 3 separate dates, I attached the emails and his response that he refused to confer to my motion. Judge didn’t care, as soon as she heard him say we hadn’t conferred she denied the motion. Not asking a question, just needed to vent.

How much time is acceptable to bill to admin per day?

Does anyone know the salary for a westlaw account executive? also a contact for a westlaw recruiter?

Does anyone enjoy lender work? If so, what about it did you find appealing? I’ve somehow been saddled with all the lender work at my firm (despite never having expressed an interest in it and having no experience with it) and it’s miserable. Having said that, our other practice areas are slowing down significantly and I don’t know if I want to rock the boat. Any advice would be much appreciated!