Related Posts
McKinsey & Company Anyone from McKinsey & Company willing to talk and potentially refer? Was part of pwc supply chain, and currently part of supply chain strategy group for the global top 15 company. Was interested in a position in manufacturing and supply chain service line. TIA! McKinsey & Company
Visual Storyteller
Enthusiast
crying ceo killed everyone today on LinkedIn 🤣🤣🤣
A little bit of motivation for us all.
How to be program manager?
Additional Posts in Law
Pro
If I leave big law for ADA will I get canceled?
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
As an associate I feel like it's my job to respect a partner's workflow, not vice versa
You have to figure out how much power you have and how you want to wield it.
If you are valuable to the firm, that gives you power. If you are valuable to the firm and willing to quit if you are unhappy, that gives you more power. If you are valuable, willing to quit and willing to piss partners off occasionally, that gives you even more power.
If you have any of these kinds of power (or some other power I didn’t list), you absolutely can and should refuse some work and some timelines (if you want to).
It’s also obviously part of your job to keep your bosses informed of what you realistically can and cannot do. You do not need to give explanations. If working a 20 hr day is required to meet a deadline and you are not willing to work a 20 hr day, that’s the same as being unable to do it, and you should say you are unable to do it.
You say “Happy to help. However, I’m working on another urgent matter so I won’t be able to get this back to you sooner than [X time]. Let me know if any issues with that timing and if you’d prefer that I loop in someone else to handle sooner.”
This!
Chief
How are your hours currently? I track those regularly and check in with my associates weekly on workflow and capacity.
If someone tells me they’re busy and the hours reflect this, then great, I’ll find someone else or be more accommodating to their schedule.
If you have capacity (or tell me you’re busy but your recorded time does not reflect that) partners will be less understanding of boundaries.
Chief
I also have young kids (8 and twin 5s), so pretty tuned in on that front. We figure out how to make work schedules fit into our lives as best we can - skying out early for pickup and softball practice after school sometimes means taking calls from the car and firing up the laptop after the kids are in bed and working a few more hours to get it done.
It’s not easy all the time.
Court deadlines > client deadlines > partner deadlines
This!
Boundaries. Non existent. It’s more like you explain the logic of competing deadlines and ask can you get them something later. If it’s because you need to sleep they are going to say no.
simple. say no
OP, I have the same issue. Often the “urgency” is not actually urgent. I will be purposefully vague sometimes about what I am working on, but not who I am working for. “I am under a tight court deadline with X partner, I could look at this (insert date in the future). If you need this on an urgent basis, I can see if X person is available to assist” and put lots of private blocks in my calendar or OOO on saying “attending to court matters today, if urgent contact my assistant”. The more you mention court deadlines the better.
Rising Star
As others have said, just say “Got it! Sounds good. I’m tied up on another matter, but I can turn to this on X day. Would that work?”
Work with people who are better organized so you won’t have time to take on their work.
I once had an assignment where the partner blew a gasket because I worked on a motion that came in after he gave me his assignment, probably an appeal, before doing his work. His logistics was that I should do the work in the order it was given to me. Mine was to do it in the order it wad due. The motion was due well before the appeal, so I did it first. I had to defend that decision for three years with that guy. 🤦♀️
I see your point but I get his as well.
I have a strict first in, first out rule unless all the work is for the same person or the partners agree on who should get their work product first.
I have been looking at being a paralegal as I run across this same situation all the time in my current field. I have not found a way around it either, except to tell the other person, 'I am currently already working on a task and I will get back to you as soon as possible'. I just make sure to check back after that current task is completed and if the task still needs to be done after checking back, then complete it. After reading this post, I know now to expect the same as a paralegal as I do as a CNA.
As staff, literally nobody ever asks us what’s on our plate despite working for a dozen people who all fancy themselves the most important. You just have to find your big kid voice and speak up. If my plate already overfloweth, I let them know what’s on my plate and if things can be rearranged it’s done, or more people are pulled in.
If the circumstances call for it, I am happy to do what I can to make things happen, but after a couple decades in this godforsaken game, I no longer go out if it way for arbitrary deadlines or pushy bitchy attorneys just because they say so. Life is too short. The sooner you find your voice, the better off you will be.