I've been at my current firm for two months and I'm already miserable. There's hardly any work to do, but I'm getting pressure to increase my billable time. Even the attorneys on my team are struggling to get billable hours in. I'm thinking about looking for other opportunities, but how would I explain such a short stint? Will it look like a red flag to employers?

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

Honestly, we’re all at will employees nowadays. Why do you need to stick around in a job you’re miserable at just to justify it on your resume? We are employed at will and it goes both ways. Most of the time we are also on a 90 day probationary period, too. We can get dismissed at any time without cause and we’re left out in the cold. Why can’t we do the same if the job doesn’t turn out to be what we were sold on? You figured out it wasn’t a good fit early on. That’s perfectly okay. I like to think of it like a pair of shoes that’s too small for your feet. Are you going to keep walking in the shoes that hurt you just because you’re afraid of throwing them out? No, you’re going to take them off and put on a pair that fits and feels good.

Some people may not agree with me. But in present day, I’m not going to suffer through a job just to satisfy someone’s question about why was I at X job for X length of time.

like

Start talking to recruiters and strike while the iron is hot. If you have a good work history it shouldn’t be an issue. Best of luck 🤞

like

I think it’s perfectly acceptable to say you’re not happy.

like

Just do it. I’ve been in my office since August 21 and have been looking because my values don’t align with theirs any longer. No worth to ruining your mental and physical health.

like

What area of law are you working in?

Isn’t M&A very up and down? I wonder if you’re just in a down slump. Im in litigation and I always think of M&A like go go go go go stoppppppp go go go go go go. Is that not right?

Related Posts

So I was a 5th year associate in nyc making 100 k a year 2k billable hours.. I decided to leave for the role Im in now.. my old countered to keep me at 115k (which was like pulling teeth for them) but I left anyways now I find out that they offered a 7th year 150 k and a partner title should I be offended that they didn’t even try more with me

like

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

like

I currently work at a medium sized firm and have about two years experience in personal injury litigation. The billable hours and lack of work life balance are really getting to me and I am looking to switch to something else out of litigation, preferably in house. I am also looking to relocate to a different state. How do I go about properly marketing myself to companies that might not take my relocation and minimal experience seriously?

like

Have any of you taken "low bono" clients while working at a firm? I want to take on a low bono client or two but not sure who would get the money. This is a contract opportunity through a non profit so I'm assuming a 1099 will be issued. The per hour rate is significantly less than my billable rate. I would (obviously) like the money but my real objective is just getting experience/networking since I recently moved to a new state and don't have clients of my own.

like

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?

like

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

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?

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

I heard so much about minimum billable hours here by staff. I never saw that email. Is it inly for certain groups?

What’s the deal with RFPs? I’ve spent countless [non-billable] hours on several of them only to find out that I’m not included in the actual proposal (the document sent to the client showcasing the proposed case team). Is this normal?

like

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...

like

Does anyone know the starting salary for Jackson Lewis in the firm's Connecticut office, as well as the billable hours requirement?

like

Obligatory financial info post. 1) size of firm, 2) billable requirements, 3) salary, 4) bonus, 5) quality of life, 6) debt, and and 7) family/married/single. Go!

like

Anyone else absolutely *loathe* being assigned new client matters at the end of the month when you know your billable time won’t count bc conflicts haven’t cleared yet? Just me?

like

Alston & Bird LLP Does anyone have any insight into associate pay, bonuses, min billable hours, and general work/life balance at Alston & Bird LLP? (DC Office)

like

Curious to know what other firm's bonus structures are, particularly those with billable requirements of 1900 and below. Trying to understand what the norm is and figure out if associates at my firm are getting screwed. thanks

like

Recent lateral junior associate in brand new practice where I'm the only associate. I'm probably going to bill 1,500 hours max this year due to being very slow and taking time off for a delayed honeymoon which I disclosed during my interview process. I have been told my work product is good, I don't turn anything down, I participate in non-billable work, I'm responsive and I always let people know I'm available to help. Do I need to be worried about getting fired for low hours?

likefunny

Highest number of billable hours you have seen in a year?

like

It’s hard to trust the partners/leadership when they want us to return to office as being better when we increase offshoring? Also, the pressure on billable hours when all that really matters is how much our fixed labor costs vs. how much we can bill (which is usually fixed fee or at least a range) and the fixed labor costs of offshoring is significantly cheaper so the hours don’t matter. Am I mistaken by this viewpoint?

like

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.

like

More Posts

Any Korean 동료/선배s on here from P Dubs? Looking to meet more Korean ppl in the firm~

HMU! Would love to meet up at the office or in-person - based in NYC.

Has anyone ever worked in Korea? What did you do? Are you fluent in Korean?

Does hsbc have Christmas shutdown like most firms? Or is everyone working through the holiday season

like

Going to Charlioftsville next weekend, any wineries, restaurants, breweries, hiking etc...to do there during COVID. Appreciate your insight!!!!

like

Anyone know of a Spanish-speaking catholic priest in the area that can do a wake service and burial prayer? My mom’s funeral is this Saturday and the priest we had made arrangements with can no longer attend. Any help/leads would be greatly appreciated.

like

What random skills do you possess that can help during the pandemic? I'll go first-

I can make soap, beer and mead from home. Im gonna be drunk and clean!

likefunny

Is Deloitte USI specifically in Oracle Cloud Technology, Is it doing layoffs? Level Senior Consultant

like

On which day is salary credited In deloitte? Like it's 2nd last working day most of the times at accenture

like

What is the best time to join pwc ac so that you will be included in the hike cycle?

like

Hello Everyone,

I have an offer from Cognizant, I get my offer revised with my counter offer.
Now again I have another counter offer, should I ask them to revise my offer letter again?

like

Does anyone work for Biogen or BMS I have a free questions on a couple of positions I'm interested in.

Hi fishes, DM for refferal.

Business Systems Analyst - Cloud Renewal Operations
Location: Lowell - Massachusetts - United States, Weston - Florida - United States
Function:: Customer Success & Renewals

Post Photo

My humble collection (L-R):
Omega Planet Ocean on Nato 2200.50.00
Rolex Datejust 41 Azure Blue w Roman Numerals 126334
GMT Master II Batgirl 126710BLNR
IWC Portugieser 7 Day Auto IW500704
Tag Heuer Carrera WV211B.BA0787

In a WOLF Howard Blue Leather Watch Box

Post Photo
like

Any downsides to leaving a “Counsel” role and moving into a “Legal Affairs” role? Still practicing and representing the company, just a difference of titles, so core work remains the same - what do you think?

like

I am relocating to pune near baner or kapil malhar. If you could help me to get the accommodation as pg Or rented 1 bhk flat. Pls comment or dm me. If you know any place or have the contacts pls share with me @

like

Moving to Austin near the Samsung fab. Any apartment recommendations?

like

Hi, do you know of any opening as a production manager making at least 120K? The environment where I'm currently working is getting more toxic than ever and they are expecting me to fill all the openings with the minimum wage. I've been in the same company for the last 7 years, but with all the pandemic still going on, nobody seems to understand that when you are short staffed is impossible to get the same results as when you are fully staffed. Any help or insights will be greatly appreciated.

like

Do you get the feeling that there is a higher image promotion of women/minority people in Tech?I have seen way to many pictures from major tech companies that promote far more women/minorities than white males in their marketing materials.Wouldn't be better if we hired the best people no matter what the race/gender is?I know some companies are not publishing any gender/race stats but you cant't really demand a 50/50 ratio.Also there is no coincidence that most execs is some companies are British. So this goes both ways.

likesmart

Is 650 a target score for NYU Andre Koo tech MBA? They don’t publish avg or median but middle 80% is 580-730

like

Additional Posts in Paralegals

Starting Ropes and Gray in MA Corp. area. any warnings/ “a heads up” that I should be cautious of when starting? Any advice for someone just starting out to be successful? What’s the WLB like?

like

When you walk in Friday morning to a dumpster fire of a file (that you’ve never worked on before) sitting on your desk, with no note or email to go with it. It’s as if I’m supposed to magically divine what to do with it. 🤦🏼‍♀️

like

Is paralegal burn-out a thing? And if it is, how do you overcome it?

like

Hi everyone. Is it typical for the attorney to take credit for the work a paralegal does? An example: I gave some ideas about deposition questions and some observations I made (I was asked about giving suggestions) regarding a witness and the attorney mentioned that he’s the one that had these great questions/observations. Zero credit or thank you for the work I did.

like

Have a great weekend Paralegals ✌️

Post Photo
like

Looking for a REMOTE Paralegal Position in the Colorado Springs, CO area - preferably in Family or Criminal Law - If anyone knows of anything. If someone knows of a recruiter in that area as well, please let me know!
TIA!

like

Has anyone ever had an attorney throw work on them at the last minute?

like

I’m getting messages from recruiters for Sr. Corporate Paralegal roles but all of my experience is in litigation. I have 6 years experience as a paralegal. Should I move forward with this? Not sure if I’m qualified.

like

Hi all, anyone familiar with Skadden in DC? Looking for any insight!

I did it! I got an in-house Paralegal position after years of working and being burned out at different law firms. I was going to leave the legal field all together because I was so burned out and depressed, but I decided to give the field one more chance if I was able to go in-house. Prayerfully, this transition will be a good one.

like

90% of problems in the legal field would be solved if everyone set internal deadlines 2 days before the actual deadline 😭

like

Hello! Are there any traveling paralegals in the group? I’m interested in becoming one.

like

Where do you find the time to get everything done in the day when you have multiple partners, associates and equity partners that interrupt you and want things turned around immediately while simultaneously working on deadlines? I feel like I’m the only one that can’t manage a 70+ case load without letting someone down. I constantly have to say “Can I do this tomorrow?” Etc. I don’t even have time to bill on the clock. I work until 7p at least every night. Top 10 family law firm.

like

Has anyone felt guilty when there is a slow day? What is the least billable hour you had in a day?

like

How much do you make and how many years experience? I’m a senior para at a mid sized firm in Central FL. 10 years experience. I’m making $64k—fair salary?

like

My boss (atty) is so disorganized! I’ve been with him 6 months and he’s having a hard time delegating, sharing info and managing deadlines. I’ve organized the caseload to manage the deadlines. He says he wants me to help with discovery but when I offer to start on one, he says he needs to do it. (Since he might have to present as evidence) When I give him deadlines and ask for the docs he says he’ll get to it. It’s a small 1 man firm, and I’m the first assistant besides his wife. Any advice?

like

The thought of Attorneys talking down on Paralegals is sickening.

like

Paralegals: My firm is looking for a paralegal, and I see the job posting advertising the salary as $65-$75k, with benefits. Is this a good salary for a paralegal (Greater LA area)? I’m not the decision maker, but it’s been a few weeks with very few applicants. I’m curious if there’s something hurting the firm in its search.

I’m interviewing with another firm next week. Has anyone made a switch like that before? How did you do it? I work in a small criminal firm now. Interview is with a same size/practice area firm.

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