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Happy Wednesday. It is Wednesday right?
Ready for a crazyyy day? Let’s do it!
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Anyone marry their law school sweetheart?
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If they keep describing the role as “fast-paced,” that’s usually a red flag. Most jobs are fast-paced to some extent, so when it’s emphasized over and over, it often means chaos or poor planning.
We're a "family".
This, a million times. What it really means is you won't see yours and you will see the partners kids in the office who you better show them partner level respect. The ones saying they are family are upended by the ones who are treating subordinates poorly, in fact bullying. And they all know what's going on in the "family."
Have you asked an interviewer about firm culture, only to have the interviewer dodge the question? ... Run when this happens to you.
Low pay/benefits, frequent churn, disorganized scheduling, zero tools, need you to start yesterday, manager can’t give you specifics of what a successful candidate looks like, etc.
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The interviewers talk amongst each other more than they talk to you. Also if the interviewers trash other local firms during the interview.
Associates specifically volunteering the names of attorneys who left. This is often their sign to you that you should contact that person to find out more about why they left.
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Any negative answer or reaction to the question “Do the CEO and other executives value lawyers and consistently keep them in the loop?”
Staff piled on top of each other. Staff all having a deer in headlights look. Having to take a test which includes basic math, spelling and grammar. The head attorney asking if I'd be okay billing my work under an attorney's initials. What do you mean? You do the work and then bill it under the attorney's initials. Oh, sure. No problem, chief. Interviewing attorney throwing papers during the interview as an example.
The inability of many law students to complete basic math nor write at a High School level are top reasons why the BAR Assc and ABA accreditation are worthless, illegal barriers to entry into the profession. AI and skills based testing have been available for years, yet we still use a narrowly focused, single LSAT test to select students. Its madness. The day of reckoning is coming. Im not advocativing for Laissez Faire entry, but common sense and practical skills should be mandatory, not ignored as they currently are under the BAR monopoly.
Any negative comment about someone previously in the role (“the last attorney…”)
Contradictory details from various people, or just being low on details in general
"Ability to thrive in fast-paced environment" is a dead giveaway. Also any use of the term "rock star".
Some of the biggest red flags you can spot during an interview are disorganization, vague answers about workload or hours, and employers who speak negatively about former employees. Watch for roles with unclear boundaries, pressure to accept quickly, or leaders who describe the job as “very demanding” without explaining how success is measured or supported. If asking reasonable questions feels unwelcome or you leave the interview feeling anxious instead of excited, that’s usually your cue to pause.
Adverse comments about the prior jobholder, especially if that jobholder appears to have succeeded elsewhere.
Any indication the manager is both externally insecure and internally arrogant.
Any indication the manager is over-using charm and attractiveness.
Number one is they focus on trying to get you to join over figuring out why you should have the job. Means they are desperate - bad reputation, turnover, need bodies. Always ask why there is an opening and what happened to the person you are replacing.
Interviewed in-house at Amazon and asked about the culture. Hiring Manager said, "you know there are good and bad people everywhere".
I don’t usually post but the first day of my attorney position ( I am a seasoned attorney ) I parked in the parking lot behind the building, a very nice quaint house with offices and I was told to move my car to park on the street and I should not park in the lot! A red flag for sure!
I wanted to share that my job is hiring. It's a work-from-home job It is a call center environment, but it's not as crazy busy & the customers are generally pretty nice! (I know not the best, but it's something & they take their time to teach you!) They send you all of the equipment & make sure that you are set up & ready to go before training. Training is done on camera, but after that, we don't have to turn on our cameras even for meetings. I can honestly say I love my job!🤍
Please be careful — this may not be a legitimate business.