No joke I have gotten like 40 hours of non billable work this week, wtf

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

There’s a practice group that I’ve been trying to find work in but whenever I volunteer to help, I always get roped in to do non billable work. In the beginning it was fine but now I’m feeling it’s never going to amount to actual work. Any tips to get more involved without all the non billables and how to approach this gently?

I wonder if we’ll still have minimum billable hours if WWIII breaks out

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?

I’ve practiced litigation in DC for about 5+ years at a larger plaintiffs’ firm, and am considering a switch to a defense firm. Is there any insight to how many billable hours this would require, and how much time that would actually be? For reference, the firm has a 1900 billable hour requirement and the partner said I would have “no problem” fulfilling that based on the work they have.

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?

What’s your current billable rate and salary?

My HR rep told me that to apply for your CPA license in MA you only need 1 year of work experience, not 2009 billable hours. Didn't sound right- can anyone confirm/deny?

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.

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?

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?

If you are a first year in a stub year, and significantly under billable hours requirement, do firms typically still give pro rated bonus? Do first year stub associates really ever hit their pro rated hours in those 2-3 months?

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

Did the billable hours bonus not get paid out today? Or is it to be paid in the next check?

How many billable hours do people in prosecution tend to average each month? I’ve gone through waves of feeling like my billable hours requirement is reasonable to feeling like I’m drowning and can’t possibly do it for that long.

Does anyone run a business in addition to their firm? I’m a solo and I’m doing pretty well with about 60-70 billable hours a month. Though that leaves a lot of downtime. Curious if anyone has any second businesses that require about 20 hours a week. Not looking for passive income or franchise ideas though.

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.

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!

Does industry have billable hours? At the big 4, we are required to work a certain number of hours each week and if we spend too much time on anything we are questioned on why it took so long. Is that a thing when you go in industry?

Where in Atlanta do you live and how much is your home? I thought Atlanta was supposed to be an affordable city? In the market for a town home and it’s only getting more expensive .... single income.

Just uncovered my Binance account from 2018 with shitcoins (doge, trx, bnb) now worth $3k. What would you do? Can I transfer them for free to a platform that is easier to navigate than Binance?

I closed on a new build a few weeks ago and now the same home is available for much less with the builder offering all appliances, additional credits, and buy down of the rate. Is there anything I can do to get now? It seems unfair that I paid more and didn't get the incentives.

Hey everyone - I'm finally having a little breathing room in my work schedule and looking to get out and explore the city a little bit more. What are your top "must see's" or must do's? Really open to anything interesting within reason lol

Fun question: what are the best and the worst wedding trends you’ve seen?

Will Deloitte give any goodies for impact day?

Curious what’s a fair salary in MA? Was just told that there is likely not going to be a chance for a raise during my upcoming performance review due to my salary already being “above average for the industry” based on my employer’s questionable research. I’ve been with the company 8.5 years & am the only one in my role, which they can’t operate without. I execute tasks from two investment advisors and two financial planners - they make the decisions of what should happen & I make it happen.

Anyone from from deals strategy willing to connect and potentially put in a referral?

Looking for some advice here: I work for a client that loves me & I love him back as well. Get along super well with the creative team and we’re like “one team” . However, I am having problems with the management of my agency. I thought of maybe talking with my client about it (the CMO) to see if he pressures the account MDs. Any tips on how to solve this situation?

Got an offer of 8LPA from JPMC for the role of Test Analyst. YOE - 1.4 years, Location - Malad, Mumbai.
I would like to know how much I can negotiate with the HR on this offer.
I don't have any other offer in hand.

How do we proceed with using this benefit? How to enroll if i want to start with IUI?

Serious question: I’m too culturally Korean to be a marketable product in the US dating market. I’m too culturally American to be marketable in the Korean dating market. What do I do?

What is the cell phone reimbursement plan for RSM?

Have a spider mite infestation on a lemon tree I brought indoors for the winter. Anyone have any ideas for how to kill them? I looked online and have tried neem oil, but it doesn’t seem to be working too well. Help!

How do you find time to take breaks throughout the day and fight the urge to work through lunch?

So I just recently got into dating after a break up 3 months ago. I joined some dating apps and have been getting quite a few matches. I’ve never dated anyone like to a point of going on traditional dates. Basically, I have no clue what to do on a date once i have one planned. Like I’ve been on a few and it’s been just talking but I guess I have no clue what to do after. I’m probably just rambling at this point but basically I need advice on actual dates and how to feel it out and what to do. Ty

About to finish my first year. I’m a specialist. Only going to hit 65% of my hours (took a 4 week vacation cause of wedding/hm).

I never say no to work and i have fantastic reviews, and the head of my practice (with whom I work a lot for) has great things to say about me.

I’ve been fully utilized starting ~June, but first few months were slow. Am i fine?!

Hi! Would anyone be willing to refer to for a role at baker botts?

Which practice group (m&a, capital markets, or funds) would be best for someone who genuinely doesn’t care about this job/law but wants to stay in biglaw (NYC) as long as possible? Some folks say m&a is more “intellectually stimulating” and I wonder, for that reason, perhaps capital markets might suit me? (I’d rather take mind numbing repetitive tasks over more “challenging” deals)

Need advice. This year I am sitting 16 of my final professional exams. I have a dissertation to do. I have my traineeship to finish. Is adderall a good idea?

Which firms are actually doing work in the emerging tech space - NFTs, DAOs, and related blockchain fun?

What is a material billable hours difference from your peers at the same group? If I bill 150 less a year than another associate should I be worried?

(1/7 3am) we're 147 hours into the new year and I've billed about 60 hours (40%) already. 2022 off to a strong start, y'all.

Taking an informal survey how many firms (I) have the junior and midlevel summer associates plan the bulk of the summer events (lunches but also evening events) and (ii) count time spent on the summer program as qualified billable work (in that partners see how much you bill to it on your time sheet)?

I’m a first-time prospective lateral likely to get an offer shortly. I just received a lateral questionnaire that requests billable hours, rates, fees collected, etc. for the last three years. Forgive my ignorance but is this normal/standard? Do people actually answer these honestly? One of the reasons I’m leaving my firm is there isn’t enough work in my group so of course my hours are low.

How do you handle the next day after being up until 4am the night before on a deal? My other deal teams don’t know I was up so late, but obviously I’m going to be much slower in the morning. It sounds whiny to say “sorry for the delay I was up all night” when everyone else is also so busy...

With the various RTO rumors/fear out there and in the absence of spring/summer/fall(?) bonuses. Would you consider coming into the office more if your firm offered bonuses linked to days in the office (coupled with billable targets, of course)?

Already spoke with a partner who wanted something done this morning for him to review and then we discuss again. Sent it to him about 4 hours ago. Should take him half an hour to review max. At what point can I check in with him to see when we can catch up so I’m not waiting in the office all day?

When you meet with a partner for a new assignment. Do you bill for that time? I’m a new associate, so I don’t know. On the one side it seems that meeting and conferring for an assignment requested by the the client would be billable since it’s using firm time and resources. On the other side, we are just talking about how to tackle the assignment and not tackling the assignment itself.

Dear first years,

When my door is closed, I am in the middle of something and trying to focus. Please stop knocking and letting yourself in to chat. I want to help you, I really do, but if my door is closed it means I am not able to help you right this second. I promise that my door will be open when I am available to do so.

Signed,
An overwhelmed second year

Edit: any advice on how to say this IRL without crushing their spirits?

Does biglaw give out swag bags to lateral hires working remotely?

What would be an appropriate gift if I want to show appreciation to my juniors before leaving the firm to go in house? What about for partner/counsel?

How do I know Big-Law is not for me?

I am a first year who just started a couple of months ago and I am literally confused all the time. I did some small work for two partners and they loved it, so put me on new deals but the mid levels I am staffed with absolutely hate the work I do. One said the work I did was laughable. I felt bed because I spent over 25 hours on this. I wouldn’t be very bothered but the other Associates in my class are killing it. So I just feel dumb all the time.

I lateraled into a niche practice group in Sept 2021. I also have a 1 year old and have been mostly remote since I started - but have been keeping busy tracking towards 2400-2500 hours. That said getting to know people only remote has been kind of awkward at times (email only can be tough to decipher) although as a working mom the pros vastly outweigh the cons. Yesterday my main partner asked me to come in Thursday bc he will be there and set a time to meet. Is this good/bad?? kind of nervous!

I’m a true night-owl that begins thinking clearly about 5 PM. I often send projects out after midnight. Early morning emails and calls are an adventure. Has anyone else had to work through this issue? Fight it or embrace it?