Why are lawyers less friendly as colleagues than non-lawyers? I’ve worked both in-house and in firms and noticed lawyers tend to ignore each other. Compared to the multiple corporate events and initiatives that was quite a choc when I realized people in BL just come to the office, sit down, work and leave without even trying to have a conversation.

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Literally because billing. If I’m at a non-law job and I spend a bit of time hanging out with coworkers, chatting, etc it’s just part of a normal day and team-building. At our job, any time you spend chatting is time you’re not billing, is time you have to stay later at the office. I like my colleagues and talk to them like a normal person, but I like my family more and would rather spend time with them at home.

likesmarthelpful

This is it for me. I try to lose no more than an hour of billing time a day in time leakage. That goes by quick if you bs with coworkers. Billable hours are 70 percent of why this job sucks.

I dont really think its billing - frankly the people billing 2400 tend to have work friends, you dont stay and invest unless you like people. I think its transience - most people are gone in a few years, most juniors expect to be gone in a few years. Really reduces the incentives to build social roots.

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I am extremely awkward with social anxiety and wouldn’t argue with anyone if they diagnosed me with an autism spectrum disorder. Social interactions are exhausting for me, but you’d never know it because I mask very well. Sorry, but go make some friends if you want to chat about your day. I do my work and go home and act like the basement dwelling troll I was always meant to be. I just don’t have anything extra to give you. I think this profession has a lot of people like me.

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