So I found out that at my new firm there is an associates committee, who is also made aware of your progress on your billable hours. Why? What’s the purpose of the associates committee?

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Would be helpful to know which firm it is, as I expect “associates committee” is used differently at different places, and may serve a different purpose

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At my (midlaw) firm, we all get a monthly email report showing everyone’s billable hours, write-downs, collections, originations and so on.

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I don’t think it’s toxic at all. I like knowing where I stand relative to my peers and who’s slacking off. The people who don’t like it are all the people who are underperforming

Our firm thought about doing a firm wide billable hours report, but decided against it. Partners do get to see associate hours so they can distribute work more equitably.

Main reasons not to included: unnecessary pressure on the junior associates to only focus on billables and not skills development, work or knowledge hoarding among associates, grinding not solving (I know lol), and to encourage honest practice habits, like not overbilling the client. This all leads to longevity of practice. We hope.

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A2, that's a shame! All of those things you've mentioned are really important. Good luck to you, I hope your firm appreciates what you can do for them.

There is no point to an associates committee

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^Agree

At both firms i’ve been at, it’s been a good resource for associates who want a liaison between themselves and partners. Concerns and requests were taken seriously so i don’t really see a downside to them. Associates on both committees were genuinely available and willing to help.

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