Anonymous wrote:To your secretary and legal assistant? How much is your bonus?

My DH always has been very very generous to his secretary and legal assistant but since he became partner feels like he has to do even more. He gives $1000 to his secretary AND legal assistant. That seems over to top to me but he said a lot of partners are very generous at the holidays.

FWIW his bonus is usually $100-125k a year

I'm a govt attorney who does the research, mailing, etc. for myself. So, nothing.

Lots of trolls here. I’ve worked in 5 different law firms, including 2 biglaw, and have never heard of bonuses this high for support staff. It all sounds very 1985, where admins actually did typing and dictation, maintained client files, and made themselves available at odd hours to run filings to the courthouse or drive to the airport to bring a pleading to the last flight out on fedex. Today, I share an admin with 5 other lawyers, put in my own time and file pleadings electronically, and maybe use my admin 4 hours/month. It’s simply not bonus worthy work unless someone is working for a managing partner where the administrative demands are high.

it depends on your DH's firm and office location. We are not a good representation here because you have no idea about our firms and the culture.

Anonymous wrote:Op - why would I stay out of it? I manage our finances. All of our money is join.

I work too so it’s not like I am not contributing to our finances.

Your husband probably has a better pulse on the culture of his office. Also, he may want to ensure that they stick around so that he doesn't have to endure the brain damage of training some one new and having a new person screw up client work. In his shoes, I'd probably do more for the aforementioned reason. MYOB

I feel like this is an area where generosity is very appreciated and pays off. He can, so he should.

My secretary enters expenses for me about 15 times a year. That’s it. And 80% of the time I have to follow up to make sure she did it, and usually she has not. Sorry, but I just have no desire to give her more than $100 for completely shoddy, unreliable work.

Youngish partner here.

I’ve given $100 (as a 1st year associate) up to $1000 (as a partner, to a very good secretary). That’s pretty much average in my experience.

However, a common topic among partners at almost every firm these days is that “post-Covid” secretaries, legal assistants and even new associates are universally AWFUL. Lazy, sloppy, entitled… and that’s when they bother to show up.

My current secretary is getting paid something like $80k to show up once a week and work maybe 4 hours per week. She does nothing. I’m not giving her cash on top of that.

My Christmas gift to her is being sufficiently indifferent about it to let her keep her job.

Frankly $0 should be the norm. They have a job and they get paid for it.

The rule is at least 100 bucks per year of seniority and has been for over a decade. I’d assume if you’re at a firm that’s kept up with the top raises and bonuses it would make sense to give at least that since pay has gone up over the last decade. So his 1000 is kind of the lower end.

I work at a boutique law firm, and we give our assistants $3,000 each. The funds are included in the overhead amount per attorney.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in big law, associates contributed $1000 each to gift to legal assistant, and I suspect the partners gave more. This was 6 years ago in DC. Now I’m in government and give $100 to my legal assistant.

I just transferred to gov. I thought ethics rules said we can't give gifts more than like 20 bucks?

I am pretty sure all of the ethics rules only address situations where a subordinate is giving a gift to a superior. I don't think there are any limits on a superior giving gifts to subordinates.

Anonymous wrote:I received a Whitman’s Sampler from my lawyer boss years back. The guy’s take home was $3 mil a year after all was said and done.

I hope he ends up in the 9th circle of hell where he belongs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in big law, associates contributed $1000 each to gift to legal assistant, and I suspect the partners gave more. This was 6 years ago in DC. Now I’m in government and give $100 to my legal assistant.

I just transferred to gov. I thought ethics rules said we can't give gifts more than like 20 bucks?

Oh I'm this poster, I did the 100 dollars x years in practice starting in 2013

Anonymous wrote:When I was in big law, associates contributed $1000 each to gift to legal assistant, and I suspect the partners gave more. This was 6 years ago in DC. Now I’m in government and give $100 to my legal assistant.

I just transferred to gov. I thought ethics rules said we can't give gifts more than like 20 bucks?

I received a Whitman’s Sampler from my lawyer boss years back. The guy’s take home was $3 mil a year after all was said and done.