s/o Bad law jobs

[Anonymous]

My first job out of law school involved working for a partner who I liked a lot when he was sober. Unfortunately, he wasn't sober all the time and the longer I worked there, the less sober he got. He was very fond of alcohol, coke, and various narcotics. I finally left after he spent an afternoon cornering associates and staffs against a wall in the hall and yelling "YOU DON'T LOVE ME! NO ONE AT THIS FIRM LOVES ME! WHY DOESN"T ANYONE LOVE ME!" He cornered me for about 5 minutes before he saw another attorney in the hall and ran off to yell at him.

Anyone else got good stories about bad law jobs?

[Anonymous]

I worked at a horrible law firm. This one partner set up a nanny cam in another associate's office (also female, who worked for her). Another associate noticed it and asked what it was.

This other partner insisted that the associates working for her department input their billables every night before leaving. She would randomly print out a list of everyone's billables that month to date and walk around berating people.

[Anonymous]

So what are the laws about cams in your office?
Do they legally have to inform you of the possibility?

[Anonymous]

I still remember the partner coming in to tell me that just because some planes had crashed into the WTC that morning didn't mean we weren't flying out to client meeting later that day. And another partner calling a child to explain why it made more sense to stay at the office and get some work done that day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I still remember the partner coming in to tell me that just because some planes had crashed into the WTC that morning didn't mean we weren't flying out to client meeting later that day. And another partner calling a child to explain why it made more sense to stay at the office and get some work done that day.

how awful!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My first job out of law school involved working for a partner who I liked a lot when he was sober. Unfortunately, he wasn't sober all the time and the longer I worked there, the less sober he got. He was very fond of alcohol, coke, and various narcotics. I finally left after he spent an afternoon cornering associates and staffs against a wall in the hall and yelling "YOU DON'T LOVE ME! NO ONE AT THIS FIRM LOVES ME! WHY DOESN"T ANYONE LOVE ME!" He cornered me for about 5 minutes before he saw another attorney in the hall and ran off to yell at him.

Anyone else got good stories about bad law jobs?

Name of the firm or it didn't happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first job out of law school involved working for a partner who I liked a lot when he was sober. Unfortunately, he wasn't sober all the time and the longer I worked there, the less sober he got. He was very fond of alcohol, coke, and various narcotics. I finally left after he spent an afternoon cornering associates and staffs against a wall in the hall and yelling "YOU DON'T LOVE ME! NO ONE AT THIS FIRM LOVES ME! WHY DOESN"T ANYONE LOVE ME!" He cornered me for about 5 minutes before he saw another attorney in the hall and ran off to yell at him.

Anyone else got good stories about bad law jobs?

Name of the firm or it didn't happen.

Are you an alchoholic lawyer to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first job out of law school involved working for a partner who I liked a lot when he was sober. Unfortunately, he wasn't sober all the time and the longer I worked there, the less sober he got. He was very fond of alcohol, coke, and various narcotics. I finally left after he spent an afternoon cornering associates and staffs against a wall in the hall and yelling "YOU DON'T LOVE ME! NO ONE AT THIS FIRM LOVES ME! WHY DOESN"T ANYONE LOVE ME!" He cornered me for about 5 minutes before he saw another attorney in the hall and ran off to yell at him.

Anyone else got good stories about bad law jobs?

Name of the firm or it didn't happen.

Are you an alchoholic lawyer to?

Not PP but quite possible. Lawyers have some of the highest rates of substance abuse among professions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I worked at a horrible law firm. This one partner set up a nanny cam in another associate's office (also female, who worked for her). Another associate noticed it and asked what it was.

This other partner insisted that the associates working for her department input their billables every night before leaving. She would randomly print out a list of everyone's billables that month to date and walk around berating people.

Nanny cam is a no-no. The other stuff is probably OK. Associates should bill daily. Otherwise there's a risk they'll just make it up later and it won't be accurate. Also, if you're an associate you shouldn't mind knowing how your billables compare to others. You don't want to get to the end of the year and find out for the first time you're at the low end and people expected more. But actually berating associates about billables is poor form, because associates typically depend on the partners for work. Overall it doesn't sound like a fun place.

Shit happens. I had a bad back as a second-year associate and ended up in traction in a hospital bed for a week. When I returned, one of the partners immediately wanted to know why my billables had been low that month. He wasn't a bad guy, but thought that was how he was supposed to deal with more junior people as a young partner.

[Anonymous]

Why is the cam a no-no?

[Anonymous]

I'm a gay guy, and worked for a gay partner who took me under his wing. I'd worked very hard and thought he respected my work. Turned out he just wanted me to blow him.

Extricating myself from his clutches without being kicked off the partner track was the hardest thing I ever did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is the cam a no-no?

You can't record audio and/or video in places where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I still remember the partner coming in to tell me that just because some planes had crashed into the WTC that morning didn't mean we weren't flying out to client meeting later that day. And another partner calling a child to explain why it made more sense to stay at the office and get some work done that day.

I know a team of litigators who kept working on 9-11 because they had a court filing due.

[Anonymous]

Sexual harassment at every firm I worked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still remember the partner coming in to tell me that just because some planes had crashed into the WTC that morning didn't mean we weren't flying out to client meeting later that day. And another partner calling a child to explain why it made more sense to stay at the office and get some work done that day.

I know a team of litigators who kept working on 9-11 because they had a court filing due.

Totally different, although most courts ended up closing.