I’m tired of being the tech support lawyer for the senior partners. I spent 45 mins today explaining to a partner how to turn a PDF into a Word document. I have a billable requirement to hit, but I’m spending half my morning being a personal IT consultant for someone who makes five times my salary. It’s 2026. Should I bill for technical assistance, or just eat the time?

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

Bill for everything ever always.

likesmart

Definitely bill for the time. Bill for everything you can. If they find that you're doing too much IT billing and they don't like that, they can actually hire an IT person to help out instead of asking you to do it.

like

A decent paralegal or legal assistant should be able to hand-hold on that particular issue, or preferably do it themselves. PDF to Word often ends up with weird formatting issues that need manually resolved.

like

Wait, how do you convert a pdf to a Word file?

likefunny

Kindly mention that to him/her next time and ask for advice on how to address.
At a minimum that will reveal whether they genuinely care or if they aren’t going to help you either way in which case next time you can decline courteously for a potential client call.

likehelpful

It took 45 mins to say hit file, export to, word docx?

But seriously, just bill for the time. Unless you have a very emotionally mature boss who is willing to engage in self reflection and generally has a growth mindset, having a conversation isn’t going to do anything. They might even view tech support as part of your job.

Related Posts

Be honest… do you know how to build a sales funnel?

like

Has anyone gone thru a vendor onboarding with InterPublic group (IPG)? Who can tell me what it’s like / what’s involved? We just won a project and in curious… I hear the vendor onboarding / setup is lengthy and “intense” but would love to know how long it takes and what do they need from you that makes it “intense?”

like

I want to go back to work in the dental field. I was an assistant for 10+ years. I miss helping people smile. But trying to find work that I can do within school hours is so hard! Has anyone found anything that is legit work from home? Either remote treatment plan presenting or helping with scheduling? I really need something from home because my husband travels so much. I’m located outside of Chicago if that helps.

like

i have one question guys, before visa stamping can we change petition's client? means if infosys has applied for my petition for client A will that petition will be valid for client B ?? or whole petition needs to be applied??

like

Oracle job status : screening means?

What sort of salary does EY consulting pay Senior Mgrs?

Anyone here in the business design team? Had a quick question if you have a chance. Thanks !

like

Hi, Please can some share approx London salary bandings in Tax Consulting for SM, D and what was considered AP grades at EY. Failed to find clear info on Glassdoor.

Is PayTm a good company to work for? Should I join PayTm as a Growth Manager ?

like

At my company, the conventional wisdom is that agile projects aren’t deadline-driven. What’s your experience? Do you drive projects based on a target date?

like

When someone says popcorn is a skinny snack (look closely)

Post Photo
likefunnysmart

Is $100K CAD a reasonable salary for a Senior Art Director in Pharma?

like

Hi Fishes, Any senior staff engineer here, role associate project manager at Nagarro. I would like to know more details about project allocation and work you do. I recently got selected as one. I can see a lot of heat from developers against nagarro here but what about mid level management such as associate project manager!??

TIA

like

If given the choice, would you join the miltary again?

like

Do hcl allows base location mumbai or allows to work from Mumbai?

like

Did BCG raise Consultant salary in Canada like America?

like

Hey , I need some help ,I am a backend Java dev with 7+yrs of experience, however I am looking for a switch and I do have an interview scheduled with a startup looking for NodeJs+ReactJs , I desperately need to convert this ,what can I do ? Any tips ?

like

Why this group is so silent?

like

Work where I live or live where I work🤔

Post Photo
likefunnysmarthelpful

A real gem from Henry Ford: "stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time."

likeuplifting

Additional Posts in Law

Firm announced flexible come and go as you see fit approach to coming back to office. Partner I work for said I need to be in office 4-5 days a week anyway. Thoughts?

likeuplifting

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.

funny

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.

like

I have a second interview tomorrow. I already spoke with the partners and now I’ll be speaking with some associates. Any tips on what I should discuss and what questions should I ask?

like

How do you wind down after a rough day?

like

Hardest part of navigating maternity leave and WLB as a junior partner?

like

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.

like

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.

like

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

like

Thoughts on sending out assignments over the weekend? I work a lot on weekends, but I don’t expect associates too. But, because I work on weekends, I often will send out assignments by email with a clear indication in subject line and body that it does not need to be completed or worked on over the weekend. A friend recently mentioned this isn’t the best since seeing the assignment may create unnecessary stress and anxiety. So, what say you? Am I terrible partner?

like

Orally accepted a job offer that I’m excited about, but have another interview this week for a different job. I didn’t realize the first offer would come so quickly! Should I cancel the interview this week or go through with it? Small legal community- people talk.

like

What is a typical starting rate that young attorneys charge for per diem side work? First or second year lawyers should ask for what? Client is a big firm.

like

When lateraling to another defense firm, is it necessary to show billable hours at current firm?

like

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

like

How long did you have to wait from last round interview until offer? (Public sector)

like

Have a call on Friday with the CEO of an environmental entrepreneurship non-profit. It could lead to a professional opportunity and maybe even billable work I can refer to my firm down the line. I’m going in with an open mind but little concrete information on his entity and goals and ways I could get involved. What questions would you ask such a person?

like

How competitve is a US district court clerkship?

like

How to switch practice areas? I’ve been in immigration for 3 years now and need a change. How do you convince employers you’re a good fit for a role you don’t have any experience with?

like

Big Law Dads: How much time do you usually take off when your wife has a baby? And do you actually get to take off, or do you just end up working from home half the time? My wife is due Mid-December, and I’m staffed on 4 M&A deals trying to close by year end, so it’s not looking promising.

likehelpful

What do partners generally expect from third-year litigation associates (smaller firm) as far as legal, professional, and/or case management skills go?
I still feel like I can’t (or don’t know how to) manage or push cases forward and like I’m constantly behind on everything—is this normal?

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal