Small firm (my boss, me, & a paralegal). After a hearing I did not handle, boss intended to seek review of the ruling in its entirety. What was communicated to me by paralegal was to seek review of a portion.

Seeking review is now time-barred. Boss is not upset, but this is 1 case & 1 problem. There are other cases & other stories.

How do I talk to my boss about being more present (boss is never in office, has “too many” emails, never answers his phone) without being seen as insubordinate?

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

Why is the paralegal telling you what to do? If I want my associate to do something, I tell them. I would never let my paralegal tell my associate attorney what to do.

like

I would say he’s too trusting. Which is nice and all feel-good, but causes a ton of issues. If it’s inconvenient for him to speak to me directly, he’ll trust the paralegal as a go between. It usually comes down to how little contact we have with him since he’s trying to manage a family of school age kids. We get him on the phone and it’s talk about what he wants til he has to go, even if we called him.

First, realize that COVID has been extremely difficult on parents and make sure you base any conversation with that mentality because that will help ease the conversation. I think you can address with your boss by letting him know you are willing and able to step up but you need guidance from him since things are getting lost in translation. Second, you need to make the paralegal your ally. Paralegals seem to be able to be ruder to bosses so if you can get the paralegal to agree to the issue then they can help. For example, instead of having the boss give instructions to her to give to you, they can just tell boss to go to you. FINALLY, if your boss isn't going to review the damn work and catch it, you should just be handling cases on your own.

Also if paralegal agrees with the problem then schedule a team meeting to discuss issues.

Sounds like your boss is taking total responsibility for the mixup. Otherwise you might be in a hot seat. Perhaps it’s time to become more independent: review the facts, laws and order and then make a suggestion to your boss as to how to proceed. Also, learn to ask the paralegal lots of clarifying questions and send your boss a confirming email before you start the work.

Related Posts

Anyone has any book recommendations that teach you how not to get overly emotional with work? I found myself getting irritated/ frustrated/ stressed often and I think these emotion gets in the way for me to put out my best performance. So looking for advice

like

Females - do you typically put your hair in a ponytail or leave it down for an interview?

like

How do you deal with a management that doesn't seem to have a concrete process in doing campaigns? (Continued)

Any thoughts on post-season moves for your team? I'm personally really pissed that the Canes are letting Niederreiter talk to other teams. He's a huge part of the team's success and I'm stunned.

Females, how much of your personal life do you disclose to the men in your team? I.e. Lovers, relationships, ONS etc

like

Hello! I've been struggling the last few weeks because someone on my team has been taking credit for my work. This coworker is really good with buzzwords and getting the attention of upper management. I'm feeling discouraged - what should I do?

likefunny

Partners, what are signs/examples that a project’s leadership is prioritizing the clients needs over the team beyond the normal ‘nature of client service’? Is a convo is worth it?

like

Welcome to a community dedicated to supporting those who deal with or wish to learn more about micro-aggressions. Did you know that 72% of folks are bullied by their managers? 36% of folks end up quitting their job because of bullying.

like

Just found out I’m staffed in Miami the rest of the year, coming from a much colder climate.

Any favorite tips/tricks for looking professional in heat & humidity?

How do you pick your fights with management during promotion year for scheduling?

like

If you're interviewing at a competitor of a firm you used to work at, what are the chances they call your old boss?

like

What is the funniest and/or most awkward Zoom moment you’ve had at work?

I worked at LinkedIn and one of the senior leaders was sharing screen during a meeting. The conversation shifted but the leader didn’t stop sharing screen. This person navigated to Yahoo news and clicked on an article filled with women in bikinis. This individual spent a solid 2-3 mins on the article scrolling and stopping to look at each woman. Needless to say this leader was very distracted by other things on our call.

funnylike

I have a partner who routinely ignores emails or responds to them several weeks later. He has to approve every single document sent to the client or the court, which means you have a physically go to his office to ask him to review something. Half of the time you go to meet with him in person, he’s either on a call or otherwise busy. I find that this basically creates more work and makes meeting deadlines extremely difficult. Is this normal?

like

How do you deal with making mistakes at work? I’ve been doing good work lately but there’s one partner who thinks I’m mistake prone and I just made a mistake on something he asked me to do, but I corrected it quickly. However, there is public record of my mistake.

like

Have you ever accidentally insulted your boss, pretty hard core, in a meeting? What I do? It was a total foot in mouth, but it was a huge meeting. I feel like if I avoid an apology it might actually be better for me so that we can pretend I didn't realize it was insulting and was just harmlessly talking...

likehelpful

How do i direct message someone

like

People of Color, how do you deal with an all-white team who doesn't acknowledge your (worthy) accomplishments while pats all incompetent employees?

likefunny

Just came back today to the office from a 3 day bereavement leave. Performance reviews were apparently done Tuesday. Senior partner who does the reviews left out of town Wednesday. Concerning?

like

I met two of my three aides for the first time today and they have been nothing but miserable the entire day. How could I promote a more positive environment without directly calling them out?

My colleague is going on maternity leave for 4 months and I was asked to cover some of her projects which are step up in responsibility than what I’m currently operating at. Some peers have suggested I ask for a raise to accommodate this but I’m not sure I agree as I’m only covering her while she’s out? What are others thoughts about this?

like

More Posts

I need 11k EQMs on AA by 12/31. No more travel planned. Willing to do a mileage run.... any suggestions on good fares you’ve seen recently?

Hi Everyone,
Can anyone please refer my profile ..
7+ years experience ...
Skills - iOS , Swift, Objective C .
Serving Notice
Location - Hyderabad.

like

I live in NY and make $40k a year as a Copywriter, I have 2.6 years of experience. Pls rip on me and tell me I’m being underpaid, thx fam

like

Hansen Technologies : £72k
NTT Data: £80k
Tech M:£75 k(with sponsorship covered of worth £10k for 3 years)
Role: solution architect Teleco domain.

Any suggestions?

like

Has anyone exited consulting to buying a small business? Eg commercial cleaning, well drilling, etc. Was it worth it?

like

Anyone have knowledge of making a YouTube page more appealing? A coworker and i are starting a page and just trying to get all the rogues down. Any help would be appreciated

like

Hi fishes,
What Package can i ask to L&T for Data Engineer with 3 years experience. Having 12.5 offer in hand.

Your response is highly appreciated.

like

Anyone looking to case in the next few days?

like

Any recommendations for supply chain consulting in London? Really underwhelmed with the offering at my current company, and I keep getting roped into projects outside of SC where I have zero interest or experience. Joined from industry 1.5 years ago.

like

If the candidate doesnt finish the case on time during interview, is it a automatic rejection?

like

Terrifying scope of Capitol attack becoming clearer as Washington locks down for Biden's inauguration

like

I have an offer in PE VP role in Citco and JPM and I am at cross road on which is one to company to choose. Their pay is very similar but JPM is offering an attractive signing on bonus. I need a honest advise on which is better between these two firms.

like
like

Will be moving to LA at the start of next year. I make $150k and my boyfriend freelances and averages around $60k. How much should we realistically be paying in rent max?

like

Who are some people you look up to in the marketing field?

like

So who else here is experiencing plummeting billable hours and exponential weight gain since this whole WFH thing started? Bought snacks for 30 days, finished in 48 hours.

likefunnysmart

How long from submitting applications are candidates hearing back from firms in this market?

like

Additional Posts in Family Law

Making the move from personal injury defense to family law/ TE. Any advice to help with the transition? I’m a 3rd year.

like

Does anyone have advice about interviewing somewhere with bad Yelp/google reviews? Is it OK to ask about it in an interview? Does any law office, for the most part, have “good” reviews, especially family law? The reviews I read on lots of law office pages are usually people who are accusing the firm of over-billing, not doing enough work or losing/obtaining an unfavorable outcome. How much attention should one pay to this when looking for a new firm at which to work?

like

Let's talk unhinged pro se opposing parties. We have one that emails the entire firm every few days with these SCREEDS that are like weird stream of consciousness accusations of baseless criminal and unethical conduct. So far there have been 2 emails already today. A GAL has been appointed and ordered to do a psych eval on this party, but is there any sense in responding in the mean time? Everything we say seems to get twisted.

like

Looking for some advice on how to find a really good attorney to deal with custody. I live in the Orlando, Florida area and truthfully don’t know where to begin. Most Google searches turn up thousands of attorneys. Is there a vetted website to find honest reviews?

like

What’s a good starting salary for a newer attorney? I’ve never worked anywhere but in the public sector (even before becoming an attorney). I currently clerk for a judge and now am up to $44k as of July 1. I’m in KY. I’ve recently had a couple attorneys reach out to me about joining their practice. I’m not ready to leave my current role but I have no idea what to consider as a reasonable salary. I’ve been licensed a year and this is my first law-related job so I’m a complete newbie.

like
like

Any newly FL licensed attorneys looking to learn/practice family law?

like

I’m a second year associate at a small, but reputable firm. My caseload is almost entirely made up of clients who were referred to one of the partners but the partners are too busy so I end up taking the case. The clients are told up front that an associate, rather than a partner will be taking his/her case. I’ve run into an issue a couple of times where the client doubts my advice because I am only 2 years in. Has anyone else experienced this? How do I address the fact that I’m only 2 years in?

like

How long into practice before someone should be competent to handle a seven figure marital estate (business, maintenance/alimony, and personal property) solo (without supervision from a more experienced attorney)?

like

Pivoting from five years of insurance defense litigation at a mid-size firm to family law in a small/boutique firm (3 partners and about 4 associates). What do you wish you knew when you first entered the field? Any advice is appreciated! So excited for this leap of faith into what I truly believe is my calling.

like

My client wants both parties to list assets & liabilities as an exhibit to their prenup without values, but waive the right to know the actual valuation of those in the prenup itself. My initial thought is this is a terrible idea & would probably make the prenup easily voidable since a main requirement for a prenup is for both to understand the nature and value of the other’s assets. I will research in my jurisdiction to confirm, but has anyone ever heard of/done this? Thoughts?

like

18 months into a pandemic, I’m really feeling like there needs to be 24 hours—one day— where if you have a license to practice law, you’re prohibited from helping anyone. Hashtag Nero is burnt out and wanna fiddle.

like

What days does your firm close for the holidays? Are you all working on January 2nd?

(I don't want to be a task master, but as an associate, I was expected to work a half day on the 24th, and a half day on the 31st. I'm closing the office 23rd and 26th this year, but currently listed as open on Jan. 2nd).

like

If your client hired a life coach/consultant to help them through a family law matter, what would you want them to focus on and what’s hands off?

like

Looking for a good custody attorney in PA if anyone has any recs.. thanks

like
like

What is your hours worked to hours billed ratio?

like

Family law associates - how long have you been practicing and what is your comp structure?

like

Lawyers who draft prenups - are you interested in referrals? If so DM me your email and name and I will reach out. I’m not trying to sell you anything don’t worry - just need attorneys to refer to.

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