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I've been a pltfs med mal lawyer for 15+ years and except for when on trial or deep into a heavy SJ motion I generally work 8 to 10 hours a day. I certainly have worked 16 to 18 hour days and, in some cases basically pulled an all nighter but that is very rare. For the most part, my experience with pltfs firms is that there isn't a lot of objective emphasis on working hours per se, rather the focus is on moving cases. If my cases are in good shape, the partners in my office don't generally care when I come or go. If I manage to be more efficient and get cases resolved quicker that's cause for celebration, not a reason to be mad at me. I'd personally wait the situation out. You haven't been there very long. You only know what the associate told you. You don't yet know the full dynamic. I'd wait and watch and in the meantime, I'd also be prepared to put some boundaries up if you need to. One of the joys of plaintiff's law is that there are rarely "emergencies". So if you have good time management and manage your calendar well, you really shouldn't be stuck working weekends that often. If partners are asking you to do so just because they can, it is perfectly ok IMO to push back and ask if it really needs to be done by Monday or whatever. Again, one of the benefits of working for a small firm is that people get to know each other. It's harder to be an asshole to another lawyer when there's only 4 other lawyers in the office.
Thanks. This is very encouraging. I was joking with my girlfriend that I'm in a good position to pushback; they're not going to fire their only associate (and who is getting his work done anyway)!
And you're right, those demands haven't actually been placed on me yet. My coworker could be overstating it.
I've often thought that in this work things should rarely just "come up." We know our deadlines weeks, if not months, in advance. I'm very good at time management and scheduling, though it sounds like some of the partners aren't.
Im at a small PI firm (not specifically med mal). 3 other PI attorneys, and we do traffic and crim cases as well. I usually work 8:30-6:30 M-F unless I have a major deadline. I'd laugh if someone told me 20 hours a day 7 days a week. I'd consider it if they were paying big law salary
I think it's physically impossible to do that.
I'm usually here at or before 8:00. By 5:15 or so I'm usually ready to pack it in for the day, though if I'm working on something or have a reason to stay later I do.
So far, the partners haven't mentioned anything to me. But my former co-worker told me that he was once told to plan to come in on Saturdays.
I make $85k in a moderate COL city.
Find a new home. That’s not the place for you and not all PI firms are built that way. 20 is crazy, but short stints of balls to the wall isn’t uncommon.
Yeah, I'm ok with putting in nuts hours when its called for, but it seems to me the partners want crazy hours just out of principal.
These demands haven't ACTUALLY been placed on me yet, but the writing on the wall isn't good.
I’m at a small PI firm in a major city and the hours are often very flexible, which makes up for “small firm” pay. 8 to 5 or 6 on weekdays, weekends are not required but used to catch up on some work from home if needed. In the summer we get “summer hours” and finish around 4 on Fridays, which is a nice treat. As jury trials open back up the workload will increase substantially, but there are certainly law firms which encourage a positive work-life balance. It sounds like you’re working big law hours for small firm compensation.
Rising Star
I work at a 6 Atty firm in a major city. I work 8-5 then a few hours in the evening and out in around 4 hours on the weekend. I’m slowing pulling back the time I put in. Think of it this way - the quicker a case resolves, the more cases the firm can bring in. So setting an expectation that associate attorneys need to spend twice the normal hours in an office is creating a false urgency to pad the pockets of partners.
It is an unrealistic expectation in the industry. In my case, it’s a “kill what you eat” pay scale. I get a very low salary and make 1/3 of the fee of the cases I bring in. However, when the expectation is to work massive hours consistently, it keeps us from being able to network and bring in our own cases and get a cut of the fee that is being paid to the firm. So in short, no time to network = not bringing in our own cases = the firm getting all of the fees of the cases associate attorneys are working on which are generally brought in through firm advertising.
Personal injury firms have a ton of turnover, which is really costly for a firm. But it’s cheaper to still have associate attorneys work themselves to death and then just replace them where necessary.
My advice: (1) ask the associate who is leaving what he wishes he handled differently And (2) get out there and network no matter what. You have to put yourself first because that’s how you make it in this industry. If you’re burning the midnight oil all the time and sacrificing your health and sanity you need to really be realistic about where it’s going to get you: is there a clear partner track? Is there a pattern of good pay and raises? (Ask the guy leaving). You need a light at the end of the tunnel, otherwise it’s not worth the sacrifice.
Rising Star
Great to have that defined goal going into the job. Ask Siri to remind you every 4 months 😜 it’s easy to get sucked into the grind and forget.