Board of Veterans Appeals (Attorney Advisor)

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:How often are drafting attorneys re-assigned to new VLJs? If somebody isn't quitting, and the VLJ isn't retiring, do they just stay together until somebody leaves?

There are occasions when attorneys and VLJs stay on the same team for several years. I know of some who have been with the same VLJ 6-8 years but its more common to be moved around (involuntarily) when there is a new VLJ promoted, or if an attorney applies for a detail, or just in a general shuffle that management decides is best. At the end of the day you don't really get a choice. You go where they tell you to go, or you can quit.

I love the periodic reminders from management about how lucky we are to have an attorney job at the Board. Management seems to think that without the Board, we would be either be unemployed or doing doc review.

That's how they manage. Intimidation, half truths and mental abuse.

I’ve never seen a reminder like this.

It’s subtle passive aggressive reminders, such as saying things could be worse or encouraging people to leave and do doc review if they don’t like it at the Board. You probably didn’t notice.

I am sorry, but is this the troll?. I have never seen a message at the Board saying to do doc review if you don't like your job. i have also never seen any email message telling attorneys that they should be happy with the way they are treated. This is complete garbage.

I have never seen anything like this either in multiple years at the Board. It's just a troll.

Yet another case of people with nice and supportive judges and managers discounting the experiences of those with toxic ones.

cataloger.

No one is saying there are not some toxic people. But no one ever told me to work as a contract attorney if I did not like my job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How often are drafting attorneys re-assigned to new VLJs? If somebody isn't quitting, and the VLJ isn't retiring, do they just stay together until somebody leaves?

There are occasions when attorneys and VLJs stay on the same team for several years. I know of some who have been with the same VLJ 6-8 years but its more common to be moved around (involuntarily) when there is a new VLJ promoted, or if an attorney applies for a detail, or just in a general shuffle that management decides is best. At the end of the day you don't really get a choice. You go where they tell you to go, or you can quit.

I love the periodic reminders from management about how lucky we are to have an attorney job at the Board. Management seems to think that without the Board, we would be either be unemployed or doing doc review.

That's how they manage. Intimidation, half truths and mental abuse.

I’ve never seen a reminder like this.

It’s subtle passive aggressive reminders, such as saying things could be worse or encouraging people to leave and do doc review if they don’t like it at the Board. You probably didn’t notice.

I am sorry, but is this the troll?. I have never seen a message at the Board saying to do doc review if you don't like your job. i have also never seen any email message telling attorneys that they should be happy with the way they are treated. This is complete garbage.

I have never seen anything like this either in multiple years at the Board. It's just a troll.

Yet another case of people with nice and supportive judges and managers discounting the experiences of those with toxic ones.

cataloger.

No one is saying there are not some toxic people. But no one ever told me to work as a contract attorney if I did not like my job.

No one has told you to doc review or find other employment if you don’t like the Board? You must be a fairly new employee. Management has been saying these things for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How often are drafting attorneys re-assigned to new VLJs? If somebody isn't quitting, and the VLJ isn't retiring, do they just stay together until somebody leaves?

There are occasions when attorneys and VLJs stay on the same team for several years. I know of some who have been with the same VLJ 6-8 years but its more common to be moved around (involuntarily) when there is a new VLJ promoted, or if an attorney applies for a detail, or just in a general shuffle that management decides is best. At the end of the day you don't really get a choice. You go where they tell you to go, or you can quit.

I love the periodic reminders from management about how lucky we are to have an attorney job at the Board. Management seems to think that without the Board, we would be either be unemployed or doing doc review.

That's how they manage. Intimidation, half truths and mental abuse.

I’ve never seen a reminder like this.

It’s subtle passive aggressive reminders, such as saying things could be worse or encouraging people to leave and do doc review if they don’t like it at the Board. You probably didn’t notice.

I am sorry, but is this the troll?. I have never seen a message at the Board saying to do doc review if you don't like your job. i have also never seen any email message telling attorneys that they should be happy with the way they are treated. This is complete garbage.

I have never seen anything like this either in multiple years at the Board. It's just a troll.

Yet another case of people with nice and supportive judges and managers discounting the experiences of those with toxic ones.

cataloger.

No one is saying there are not some toxic people. But no one ever told me to work as a contract attorney if I did not like my job.

No one has told you to doc review or find other employment if you don’t like the Board? You must be a fairly new employee. Management has been saying these things for years.

Not the previous poster, but been at the Board for almost a decade, with good and bad judges, never even heard rumors of that. Worst I’ve heard is one judge shouting and slamming the CFR on their desk (you have a higher chance of encountering this type of toxicity in private practice). We don’t have the same management anymore either.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hijack the conversation, but does anyone wish they were doing something else? For the last several minutes, I’ve been sitting here reading about a Veteran’s bacterial vaginosis. It’s excruciating to say the least. Makes me wish that I had studied harder in collage and law school and gotten a “real” attorney job at the DOJ or in big law. Okay, rant over. Back to the vaginosis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry to hijack the conversation, but does anyone wish they were doing something else? For the last several minutes, I’ve been sitting here reading about a Veteran’s bacterial vaginosis. It’s excruciating to say the least. Makes me wish that I had studied harder in collage and law school and gotten a “real” attorney job at the DOJ or in big law. Okay, rant over. Back to the vaginosis.

This is typical of any personal injury job as well. I cannot count the amount of time I spent reading about my clients' STD's and pot habits while trying to pick out the info about their broken bones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry to hijack the conversation, but does anyone wish they were doing something else? For the last several minutes, I’ve been sitting here reading about a Veteran’s bacterial vaginosis. It’s excruciating to say the least. Makes me wish that I had studied harder in collage and law school and gotten a “real” attorney job at the DOJ or in big law. Okay, rant over. Back to the vaginosis.

The grass is always greener...

I know someone who had a "real" attorney job at the DOJ in ~2017-2019 and was asked to take clearly illegal positions in cases. It sounds like things at the DOJ are even worse at the moment. Big law jobs have long, unpredictable hours. They often break down to not much more pay on a per-hour basis than what Board attorneys get. Slow, steady, predictable is fine. I'll take that over the alternative, even if it means reading about vaginosis from time to time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry to hijack the conversation, but does anyone wish they were doing something else? For the last several minutes, I’ve been sitting here reading about a Veteran’s bacterial vaginosis. It’s excruciating to say the least. Makes me wish that I had studied harder in collage and law school and gotten a “real” attorney job at the DOJ or in big law. Okay, rant over. Back to the vaginosis.

The grass is always greener...

I know someone who had a "real" attorney job at the DOJ in ~2017-2019 and was asked to take clearly illegal positions in cases. It sounds like things at the DOJ are even worse at the moment. Big law jobs have long, unpredictable hours. They often break down to not much more pay on a per-hour basis than what Board attorneys get. Slow, steady, predictable is fine. I'll take that over the alternative, even if it means reading about vaginosis from time to time.

Well, the DOJ is currently hiring for just this reason so there is an opportunity for BVA attorneys to go to the DOJ. It just requires you to put your license on the line in federal court but so far gov attorneys have successfully navigated that with creative wordsmithing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry to hijack the conversation, but does anyone wish they were doing something else? For the last several minutes, I’ve been sitting here reading about a Veteran’s bacterial vaginosis. It’s excruciating to say the least. Makes me wish that I had studied harder in collage and law school and gotten a “real” attorney job at the DOJ or in big law. Okay, rant over. Back to the vaginosis.

No, having done govt criminal work, I promise that having to see CSAM evidence is infinitely worse.

[Anonymous]

I wonder who the next Chairman will be. Gosh, I hope it is someone hot and hunky like our prior EIC Spickler. He would make RTO so dreamy for the women of BVA.

[Anonymous]

As private practice and government attorney, not only is toxicity rampant everywhere, but I'd take reading about BV and other ailments over entitled clients who think they own you because they have to pay a bill, who fight about paying a bill, and looking at evidence from truly awful crimes any day.

[Anonymous]

Still no murmurs regarding Board RTO?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder who the next Chairman will be. Gosh, I hope it is someone hot and hunky like our prior EIC Spickler. He would make RTO so dreamy for the women of BVA.

There's no way to say who it will be. It is usially someone who has served in the military and has a legal background. We've gone more than two years with an Acting Chairman before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder who the next Chairman will be. Gosh, I hope it is someone hot and hunky like our prior EIC Spickler. He would make RTO so dreamy for the women of BVA.

There's no way to say who it will be. It is usially someone who has served in the military and has a legal background. We've gone more than two years with an Acting Chairman before.

Has to be someone with a DUI or DV conviction and the ability to consistently parrot the idea that veterans are important except the ones employed by the federal government, those veterans don't work or even show up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder who the next Chairman will be. Gosh, I hope it is someone hot and hunky like our prior EIC Spickler. He would make RTO so dreamy for the women of BVA.

There's no way to say who it will be. It is usially someone who has served in the military and has a legal background. We've gone more than two years with an Acting Chairman before.

Has to be someone with a DUI or DV conviction and the ability to consistently parrot the idea that veterans are important except the ones employed by the federal government, those veterans don't work or even show up.

That's doubtful since they have to pass Senate confirmation. More likely it will just he someone from the current management acting for a long time.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Before the Board went remote, there were a couple of judges who were known for throwing objects at attorneys, screaming at them, and slamming their hands on their desks in anger. Remote work prevented a lot of the outbursts. If we RTO full time, I fear for the safety and mental health of the attorneys assigned to toxic judges.

I heard these rumors and I wasn't sure whether to believe them until I heard a judge screaming at an attorney in their office. This judge is still employed as far as I know.

You can't have a bully without a victim. Why any lawyer would put up with someone screaming at them or throwing something at them is beyond my comprehension. If someone was screaming at me, I would say "I will come back after you calm down because you are making me feel unsafe." If someone threw something at me, I would undoubtedly lose my temper, stand up, and hit him with a chair. and it would be worth it.

It’s easy to be a tough guy on the internet when you have nothing to lose. It’s much harder in reality.

Well I'm not a tough guy but also not a victim. It's interesting that you assume I'm a guy. I have defended myself against bullies since I was a kid. It's not hard at all. Fear is fuel for intimidation. I've worked in jobs where I've been threatened by clients and even had someone pull a gun on me. I mean it's almost laughable that someone wouldn't stand up to some old lawyer behind a desk throwing things at them. I never ran into anything like that at the Board, was pretty quiet overall and everyone around me seemed nice enough. maybe an urban legend.