I'm a long time prosecutor getting into the ID game and billable hours. Are there any resources out there that can help me get more effective/efficient without spending months/years learning the hard way? Some days I'm at the office 10 hours, took virtually no breaks and yet only bill 7. 🤬

Probably a foolish question: are bonuses based off of raw billable hours or billable hours modified by the partners?

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!

Has anyone here worked (or does anyone currently work) for Bernstein Litowitz (aka BLBG)? Very interested to learn what inside associates feel about the firm, its culture, work-life balance, billable hours, etc.

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.

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!

Received a job offer. Was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on a concern I had about it. It's an entry level position, and I don't have much experience. The billables are 2040 a year. For billable hours in civil litigation and insurance defense, is 2040 hours for a 1st year associate on the high end in this field for a small or midsize firm? It seems like most attorneys I know have minimum requirements of around 1800. The compensation is around 80k a year.

There is almost nowhere to find reliable bonus information on Canadian firms. I’ve heard of year end bonuses ranging from 10-50% this year (not including Covid bonuses). Let’s start a thread posting year of call, rough billable hours worked and bonus as a percent of salary.

5 year call. 1850 hours. 10%.

Does anyone have experience working for a ALSP? How does compensation work (pay and benefits)? Are you an employee or technically an IC? Do you have billable requirements like at a firm? How do you think it prepared you to potentially move in house? I'm currently at a firm but thinking of taking a position with an ALSP but my goal is to go in house.

BONUS. What’s amount bonus do you get, and how often? Including bonus structure (ex for meeting billable hours), firm/boss randomly bonuses you, Christmas bonus, etc)

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!

Mental health is busy, looking for tips to help manage tasks, currently I supervise 12 therapists in 3 different departments that are all different with unique dynamics in each dept. I still carry a small caseload on top of this. I'm struggling with my patients and worry I am not giving them my best, I wax and wane between focusing on patients and therapists. Looking for advice navigating this type od conversation with my leadership, we have all been asked to work on increase billable time...

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?

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

Anyone have slow months where you burn through a lot of your allotted pro bono/professional development hours to keep hitting minimum daily hours? The past few weeks have been like this for me. Should I be concerned (I.e., will this reflect poorly on me, come review time? Will I have dug myself too much of a hole if I keep burning my non-billable hours?) I’ve been asking partners if I can assist in any projects so I can fill my plate, but I’ve only gotten small (4-6 hour) tasks handed my way.

I know some of my colleagues are recording their standard fees as time so that it counts towards their billable hours. It infuriates me but am I just being naive by not doing the same?

I am concerned with fulfilling billable hours requirement. I’m required to hit 2100 hours yearly and I’m at ~1,500 hours and I think I’ll hit 150-180hours this month. What will happen if I don’t hit my targeted amount by the end of my year.

I have an interview with Korn Ferry for an associate principal role and am curious about others’ experiences have been with work-life balance here. Also, I have an idea of what I should be compensated in this type of role, but any insights on how they pay compared to others would be helpful. Are you traveling during the pandemic or have client interactions been virtual? Lastly, if you are a consultant here, are you on billable hours? My current consulting role is not - so this would be new.

What do you do when you feel the goalpost has been/is being moved re: billable requirements? Like there's a spoken vs unspoken? I chose this job based on billables vs salary and what I'm being told I'm expected to do now is 20-30% (at least) > than what was initially agreed upon. Given my other life responsibilities, this is creating a huge strain & I feel like this is slowly getting harder & harder on my spouse & kids. I'm grateful to have lots of good work but not sure how to course correct.

What’s your firm’s billable hours requirement? Name + whether pro bono (or anything else) counts please

Is there any advice for networking into projects when you don’t know many people at the firm yet? I always to help on BD work when I’m on the bench, but it never turns into any billable work. Every time I have talked to a partner/senior manager I was told I don’t have the skill set they’re looking for, but I don’t know how to build up from there. Feeing very lost but I want to improve my approach.

What will be in-hand salary for 43L base component.

Hello All,

I need an quick suggestion from all experienced fishes 😀

YOE: 8.2
Tech: Full Stack Angular with .net
Current CTC : 15.4
Location : Pune

Am expecting an call for salary discussion anytime soon.


Interviewed for project which has below technology:

.Net Full Stack, Angular, Azure
Location : Pune

Could you all advise how much TCS could strech and how much I should ask them 💰..

PS: I don't have any offer in hand. This would be my first offer for this Season's Job Hunt 😺

Thanks

Looks like stocks are back on sale

Does anyone have a preferred project management tool to help track GTM strategy and risk?

Hi Fishes,
Has anyone switched from INFOSYS to TCS

Hi, Anyone got update on renegotiation with IBM?

What’s a reliable affordable source for analyst reports on public companies? Also is there a source to get access to Investor decks/presentations?

Can anyone help connect me to someone who might be searching for a copywriter with a few years of CPG experience? (Originally from MN, looking to network)

Hi,

Need combinations of helpful, uplifting smart and funny.


Please help🙏

What's everyone go-to spots for an uneventful weekend? First time in a while, I don't have any weddings or parties to go to.

What’s a good CISA program?

Anyone have any problems with scams on Upwork?

I have a interview for a Market Development Manager tomorrow. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Last song you listened to.. go!

Thoughts about associates and in-house counsel (i.e., attys with no control) unionizing? I have friends who are required to go into their offices despite 'Rona! Collective bargaining helpful here?

Dubai was liiit

First-gen grad students, does your family put pressure on you to succeed? It feels like our relationship is them just bugging me about my work. I’d love some advice, I miss my fam.

I’m a mentor for a summer associate who I believe could be a great lawyer here (V100, small market if that matters). However, it is apparent he has no understanding of technology (redlines, word, excel). Based on his background, I believe it’s due to a lack of access. Would you ever recommend to your firm that he be given a course to catch up? Should I try and get him training on my own? Stay out of it? I dont want to overstep but believe this would help him as this puts him way behind his peers

As lawyers are there ways to get paid for connecting clients?

Is there a market for lawyers to add expertise In crisis management or reputation management? My goal is to counsel clients on how to respond to media inquiries without saying or posting something detrimental to a potential litigation while still maintaining communication with their client base. If so, how to break into that industry? Courses? Books? Certifications?

For those of you required to be in office- do people use the phone and email to contact you or do they still come by in person? People in my office seem not to understand how the phone works...

Mid-senior level transactional folks: how do you originate deals? The only deals I originate come from when one of my corporate clients randomly decides to sell a business. There has to be another way to land more deals, right?

How hard is the path from lit to GC?

Advice Request: Started my career litigating. Switched to niche transactions (so about half and half at this point). Halfway through a year long sabbatical and reevaluating what I want to do (left before jumping to Senior associate). I’d like to get into litigation again in a practice group I don’t have experience in. Any suggestions on how to do this? How to approach firms and partners etc? Past 2 firms on my resume are top 30.

Are new associates in your firm eligible for bonuses in their stump year?

Anyone else here kinda like doing doc review? (In moderation of course)

Hi Everyone,

When reviewing an "intial protocol alleging adverse employment ", how do you request additional information and also bring to light Spoilation? Thank you

Probably a foolish question: are bonuses based off of raw billable hours or billable hours modified by the partners?

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!

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

We have motion sensor lights in my office and the sensor is far from my desk. Consequently, if I'm on a long WebEx, the lights go out and it's embarrassing. The building won't change the sensor. Anyone find a solution for this (aside from standing up and moving, which would be very awkward)? I can't rearrange my office.

Has anyone here worked (or does anyone currently work) for Bernstein Litowitz (aka BLBG)? Very interested to learn what inside associates feel about the firm, its culture, work-life balance, billable hours, etc.

Any insight into Barnes and Thornburg, especially in Minneapolis? Culture? Hours requirement? Comp???

How are 1st year litigation associates dealing with WFH? I’ve been having terrible anxiety/panic attacks, and pretty sure my billables wont exceed 110 for April. I’ve been super stressed about it and don’t know how to move on to May with the proper mindset to make up for as much time missed as possible. CA courts are still closed, and I’m worried I won’t be able to exceed (or even meet) my May goal after April.

How do you properly vet a law firm? I feel the associates I speak with talk up the firm and aren’t always candid.

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.

How do I train my critical thinking skills? Any book recommendations?