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Yep- you solved the puzzle. It is like the hunger games- your sponsor matters
Tbh in my experience reviews are harsher or nicer depending on whether they want to reduce headcount or whether you are well liked, regardless of true performance. I’ve seen managers tank someone’s review due to them just wanting that person fired.
If your review is mostly negative, your best bet is to find a new job - if they wanted you to stay they would make an effort to make the review mostly positive.
Pro
I don't understand why it's so hard for people to understand that you need to be likeable to succeed. You can call it "politics" or whatever else. But it's simple, the people bringing in the business to pay your paychecks have to like you. They have to trust you. If they don't, then they don't have to continue to employ you... you have the right to quit as well.
It’s difficult to do a great review when the final review shown to the staff member is a cut and paste depending on what they want to put in it.
I think it depends on the feedback and where it's coming from. If it's from someone that i don't work with regularly and who i know hasn't seen the full body if my work, I take it with a grain of salt. If I get feedback from someone I work closely with and the feedback accurately reflects my work product, then I take it to heart.
I think it’s a very bad idea to ignore what’s in your review. You may disagree but you have to take seriously that this — whatever it is — is the perception of someone who controls your pay and opportunities.
I take the info in the review as something being shared to help me grow and improve, including and especially where I might have blind spots or be unwittingly creating negative impressions. Also, the review may illuminate something your leader tried to coach you on and it just didn’t land with you — maybe you couldn’t accept it and so basically blocked it out, maybe it was expressed in a way that didn’t make sense to you, maybe you were too stressed in the convo to hear and retain it accurately — so having it written, hopefully clearly and with specifics, can really help you absorb those observations. Plus, while it can be hard to read or feel harsh, I choose — all day long, every day — someone who is being clear and direct with me over someone putting fluff in my review and tanking my bonus and reputation behind my back.
I’ve probably suppressed my law firm experiences with this but in-house, at least where I am, your manager really wants to provide a fair and objective picture of your year, strengths and opportunities.
Disregard at your peril.
Of course it’s arbitrary and political. First, other than hours there are no hard metrics in this job. It leaves a lot of room for amorphous negative feedback that’s impossible to refute. Second, most law firms are set up like pyramid schemes. There is literally not enough room for everyone to make partner, so the more senior you get, the more the existing partners have incentive to make your reviews negative for no reason other than not wanting to share their slice of the pie.
You’re not the only frustrated senior associate today. The traditional law firm model is broken.