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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have been reading this topic for a long time. I have debated about giving my two cents, and I think I should. I am relatively new at the Board. I have extensive litigation experience and chose to joint the Board to get away from courtroom drama. BEST DECISION OF MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER. Some of the things that have been said are true, but most are idiosyncratically false.

TRUE: 
(1) We have a quota requirement; just like billable hours, meet it or say goodbye. Nothing new about this.
(2) Yes, the judge you work for will determine your happiness, but I can say that I have not met anyone who is "mean" or "evil" or anything of the like. The judges want to succeed, so they need attorneys who want to succeed. Everyone is busy, so you might not get the "attention" you need, but do you think a law firm will baby you, nope. Learning on your own, and having the desire to do so, is crucial. 
(3) Management is NOT bad. I think, personally, management has informed us of what they think we need to know (as all information has boundaries). But, I do not think they are hiding the ball. In the past, I have heard things were bad. I think that has drastically changed.

FALSE (much of the forum comments I think are specific to people's own experiences):
(1) "This is always routine, mundane, or simple work." Yes, a lot similar issues reappear, but that just makes you able to more quickly spot the issue and resolve the case. The more you do, the better you get. And with a quota, that is a good thing. Again, each judge is different. Some want minimal, get-to-the-point decisions, others want more info. I do not think any judge wants crap. I find this area of the law changes more often than civil and criminal law due to legislative involvement. We just had regulation changes last month. 
(2) "You will be miserable." ONLY if you hate to write. Do NOT take a writing position if you did not do well in writing courses or want to be "active" in court. Having extensive litigation experience, and realizing I loved to write and hated to argue with people over stupid things, this is an ideal position for me. I have met my numbers way ahead of schedule. I think that if you come straight out of law school with no perspective of real-world law experience, you will struggle, which is why people do get fired. 
(3) They are always hiring, which is true, but not because people get fired that often. People do get fired, but a lot move on to higher level positions in the VA. Many become supervisors, judges, or take higher paying VA positions in different areas. So, it is a mix, not just one thing. 
(4) "This is the worst federal job." Not for those of us who like this type of work, it is perfect! For me, the worst federal job would be anything where I would constantly be required to appear in court to argue over ridiculous discovery demands, attorney fees, and deal with incompetent elected or appointed judges. I can make just as much writing from home all day as I would being forced to defend/prosecute stupid claims all for the sake of the all mighty dollar. Yuck! And, in the private sector, don't get me started on satisfying clients and upper-level attorneys just to bring in business.

So, I could say a lot more, but take all of this as you will. It is only my personal opinion. But, I wanted to give an alternative and current perspective of the Board. And as for the space reduction, if you are someone who "needs" an office to go to and people to interact with, the federal government will likely be reducing many space overt the next decade. So, take that into consideration.[/quote]

So, your extensive litigation experience got you an entry level GS-11 position? Also, as many people have mentioned, your experiences at the Board depend a lot on who your judge is. As you noted, the judges varying a lot. Some judges want very detailed decisions. Other judges want short one page decisions that are conclusory and contain very analysis. Attorneys who are assigned to the latter kind of judge, can crank out decisions much faster than other attorneys, by virtue of their judge’s personal preference. Unfortunately, all attorneys have the same quota, which adversely affects attorneys who write for very detailed judges.

Given your short time at the Board, you probably haven’t had the misfortune of working for the judges who are well known for bullying and harassing their attorneys. If you read the attorney survey, you’ll see that management not only fails to respond to complaints of discrimination, but actively retaliates against those who complain. That’s the main issue at the Board, not the quota.[/quote]

you bring up another great point.  When I applied, they promised they would take your real world experience into account when deciding your starting salary/grade.

That's another lie they tell you. Everyone starts at GS 11-1 whether you have one year of litigation experience or 20 years of litigation experience.  I have heard of a few exceptions for people who worked at SSA.  they may start at GS-11 but at a higher grade level.  If you do not have that specific prior experience you will start at GS 11-1, despite what they promise during the recruitment process. [/quote]

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