How to say no to work w/o killing your government lawyer career?

[Anonymous]

I moved to a fed govt lawyer job three years ago after nearly five years in big law. I was partner track and well regarded but was having health issues, had some kids, and wanted more balance. I moved to a govt job and quite frankly blew them away with my work ethic and brief writing skills. I'm not at one of the premier agencies or in a premier job (not an AUSA or at the SEC). Think lower rated agency in terms of overall job satisfaction surveys out there. Now, I find myself flooded with work it's difficult for me to focus. I am also realizing that me and a few other recent hires from Big Law are doing most of the section's work while the rest are too incompetent to be asked to do more work OR they skillfully find ways to say no or get around doing stuff so often they just aren't asked anymore. My job is getting to the point where I am more stressed about how to diplomatically say no to a case rather than actually handling the case. I've learned a few things, like it's actually better for me to procrastinate than to handle work in advance; that way, I can say no to an incoming project since I actually have a deadline that day or the next day.

I am feeling increasingly bitter about the workload I am asked to carry but don't want to seem like I am not part of the team by saying no.

As an aside, I am also increasingly frustrated by the incompetence and mismanagement at my particular agency but that's a separate issue...

I want to make this job work and would love to hear thoughts or strategies!

[Anonymous]

Can you defer instead of outright saying no? "Gee, I'd love to help you, but my plate is pretty full and I don't think I'd be able to get to your project until ___. Can it wait?" Either it CAN wait, in which case it should not pose a problem for you, or they will go to someone else.

What is your setup with your direct supervisor? Can you go to him/ her with workload concerns?

I highly suggest that you do what you can to keep your work ethic intact. It's hard to get it back once you let it lapse.

[Anonymous]

Yes but it sort of sucks when you and 3 other people are the ones doing 50% of the work of the office. DH was in this position a few yrs ago. It was really annoying, particularly for me because he had left the firm to avoid the long hours...plus his boss was this total stickler for taking 1 hour of sick leave for a dr appointment (even if he had already worked like 10 hours the day before).

No advice....it helped when he was on one important case and he could beg off other matters that diverted his attention from it. Ultimately, he got promoted to a different office after only 1.5 years...so his hard work had paid off and he got away from the bad boss.

[Anonymous]

Just say no.

Seriously.

[Anonymous]

I think this happens in government a lot. I think a lot of people are over utilized, misutilized, or underutilized.

The good people are given more work and are often very busy. The people who r perceived as not being as good r not given as much work. I think this is management failure when this happens. Managers should be trying to develop everyone's career and balance the workload out evenly. But it is easier for them to dump more work on the smarter more capable people with the better work ethic.

Ironically, often the underutilized or misutilized people are disgruntled they do not have enough work. Their morale is low. If managed better, it is entirely possible they would be very good workers. But somehow they've gotten marginalized and are not fully utilized.

To answer your question, you need to start saying no. Have a list ready of the projects you're working on and say, I am sorry, but I am already overloaded at the moment. If you are working overtime, keep track of that, so that you can show your supervisor if he insists you keep doing more work.

[Anonymous]

Do you work for Finra OP?

[Anonymous]

Just say no. You aren't at DOJ or anything. You can't kill your career at a low ranking agency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just say no. You aren't at DOJ or anything. You can't kill your career at a low ranking agency.

+1 What are your long term career goals? Do you want to move up at the agency? Get back to Biglaw and make partner in your area? If your goal is to stay at your agency and eventually retire from there, just start saying no. If this isn't your goal, it is probably time to start looking for your next career move and find a new job.

[Anonymous]

"I'm over my comp time limit as it is."

[Anonymous]

Happens all the time in the government and not just to lawyers. When you are assigned to a project and given a deadline, don't refuse the work. The supervisor remembers that. Instead, say "I can't make that deadline because I'm working on this and it has a higher priority. I suggest a deadline <insert date 3 months later>." They'll get the idea.

[Anonymous]

This happens to all of our government lawyers. We have SO many people on staff that can't be trusted with work or decisions that the work tends to go to the new hires. It's just an awful cycle because of the inability to fire people or move them to different areas. Our solicitor's office is very messed up.

OP I would say no and just keep saying no.

[Anonymous]

In BigLaw or government the reward for doing good work is more work. Unless you really want to move up (which entails working just as hard just being more responsible for more things and more people) you have to learn where to draw the line and how to say no when it is crossed. If you don't stand up for yourself, nobody else will.

Of course, it helps if you start saying no once you have paid your dues and established yourself as a good worker. You are much more likely to get away with it then.

[Anonymous]

OP, I do not mean to accuse you of anything, but there are a couple of indicators in your post that make me think you may have a couple biases.

You mention that you worked in a big firm more than once. You mentioned that you left the big firm because you wanted more balance. You mentioned that those attorneys in your office that did not come from a big firm are incompetent. Is it possible that you still hold a bit of the stereotype that you are better than these other lawyers simply because you came from a big firm? Is it possible that you had unrealistic expectations about how much work you would still need to do as a government lawyer?

I'm not saying that you shouldn't tell your manager if you have too much on your plate and do not have enough bandwidth. But it isn't really about other people's workload. It is about your own.

I've been a government lawyer for four years. I came from a small local firm that specializes in the type of work I do now. I still work damn hard. I perceive that I do more work than some of my coworkers. But I have aspirations (lowly as they may be within the confines of the federal government). So, sure, you could say no to work and be less stressed with more time for your family, but you would be setting yourself behind if you wanted to get promoed, move into management, and get bonuses. It is all a trade-off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you work for Finra OP?

Finra is not a government agency.

[Anonymous]

This happens in all industries, not just government. When you are good at your job, or more qualified than your peers, people give you more work because they want their work done better.

I think the suggestion about "I can't get to it until (whatever date)" is a good one, and I've used that before. Supervisor usually takes it elsewhere.