Culture Shock in a Law Firm
The very first law office I worked for, back when I was 21, was a sole practitioner's firm. It was me, her, and a law student who was Orthodox and lived in the Bronx. The great thing about working in a small firm is that you get to do everything. I answered phones, drafted letters, and sent out bills - all the regular secretarial things. I also got to do all the other things that needed doing too though - calling clients to bug them to pay their bills, fixing broken copier machines, buying office supplies, babysitting the toddler when my boss brought her in to work, helping her brother create his resume.
Several times I went to court - not to talk to judges of course, except for that one time accidentally - to drop off documents or look for them in the court file. Once I even walked a client out to her car because she was scared of her future ex-husband who was there for a meeting. Another day I went to my bosses' house to babysit for her daughter instead of working, because that was what was most helpful that day.
I went from that job to a big law firm, complete with mail guys and office services and a man named Lloyd whose entire job was to run around the office fixing anything that went wrong - from needing a new chair to not being able to reach a doctor (maybe that wasn't part of his job description, but one day my coworker was having massive diabetes-related pain and couldn't get through to a doctor, so he sat on the phone for hours trying to find one who could help her that day, it was very sweet), to making sure the walkway was clear of snow and ice for clients coming in.
There was a procedure for everything. There was a department for everything. I do best at these firms - the bigger ones that have support, like word processing departments and help desks.
For the last three weeks I was at one of those huge firms. The type that have a computer program for reserving a conference room. The type where there's someone whose job it is to put the used mugs into the dishwashers and make coffee each morning and order lunch for meetings.
As temp jobs often do, that job ended, and today I started a new one. Apparently they had a different temp last week, but they fired her because she wasn't working out. So today they got me. It's a small firm, with about a dozen attorneys who are firmly divided into two distinct camps: half are old, with old-people names like Boris and Bertha, and half are young and hot. There is ONE secretary. Plus me. Yeah.
Now some of you work at law firms and are thinking "Six lawyers per secretary? What's the problem?" But those of you thinking that work in high-stress environments. Ideally the spread is two to four attorneys per secretary, depending on the workload. Some partners are egomaniacs and refuse to share their secretary, and some associates are actually so busy that their secretary barely has time for another person.
Apparently the lead secretary left a week ago. They haven't replaced her yet. This firm is not just small, it's also not organized. They have no systems in place for anything. The other secretary asked me to proof a letter to a client before she sent it out and the formatting was all off. When I asked how they generally format their letters she said there was no template.
Once I temped at a firm where the IT guy was also an associate. When my computer wouldn't let me use a program another secretary went into his office and made him get off the phone with a client to tend to my computer. This firm is not quite that bad, but it's close.
There are some people who would love the position I'm in - they'd love to swoop in and get them all organized and running efficiently. I would love that too, except that the reality is that old people don't change. This firm doesn't even have a document management system. They compost and print double-sided and scan everything rather than making copies, yet when I asked for a client list people got flustered. When I couldn't get into the drive where completed documents are stored the IT guy told me to just close down and try again tomorrow morning.
Last Friday when I left the bigger firm I got three hugs goodbye, one Facebook friend request, one offer to take me out to lunch this week, and two heartfelt emailed goodbyes. The gay HR guy was trying to bring me on board permanently, but got stuck when he tried to get the green light. He came to say goodbye to me Friday afternoon and promised to keep trying. The other women I worked near assured me he doesn't make empty promises, that if he said he'd try, he will. My fingers are crossed.
Of course I will do the best I can at this firm, but I think long-term I'll do better at the bigger one.
Several times I went to court - not to talk to judges of course, except for that one time accidentally - to drop off documents or look for them in the court file. Once I even walked a client out to her car because she was scared of her future ex-husband who was there for a meeting. Another day I went to my bosses' house to babysit for her daughter instead of working, because that was what was most helpful that day.
I went from that job to a big law firm, complete with mail guys and office services and a man named Lloyd whose entire job was to run around the office fixing anything that went wrong - from needing a new chair to not being able to reach a doctor (maybe that wasn't part of his job description, but one day my coworker was having massive diabetes-related pain and couldn't get through to a doctor, so he sat on the phone for hours trying to find one who could help her that day, it was very sweet), to making sure the walkway was clear of snow and ice for clients coming in.
There was a procedure for everything. There was a department for everything. I do best at these firms - the bigger ones that have support, like word processing departments and help desks.
For the last three weeks I was at one of those huge firms. The type that have a computer program for reserving a conference room. The type where there's someone whose job it is to put the used mugs into the dishwashers and make coffee each morning and order lunch for meetings.
As temp jobs often do, that job ended, and today I started a new one. Apparently they had a different temp last week, but they fired her because she wasn't working out. So today they got me. It's a small firm, with about a dozen attorneys who are firmly divided into two distinct camps: half are old, with old-people names like Boris and Bertha, and half are young and hot. There is ONE secretary. Plus me. Yeah.
Now some of you work at law firms and are thinking "Six lawyers per secretary? What's the problem?" But those of you thinking that work in high-stress environments. Ideally the spread is two to four attorneys per secretary, depending on the workload. Some partners are egomaniacs and refuse to share their secretary, and some associates are actually so busy that their secretary barely has time for another person.
Apparently the lead secretary left a week ago. They haven't replaced her yet. This firm is not just small, it's also not organized. They have no systems in place for anything. The other secretary asked me to proof a letter to a client before she sent it out and the formatting was all off. When I asked how they generally format their letters she said there was no template.
Once I temped at a firm where the IT guy was also an associate. When my computer wouldn't let me use a program another secretary went into his office and made him get off the phone with a client to tend to my computer. This firm is not quite that bad, but it's close.
There are some people who would love the position I'm in - they'd love to swoop in and get them all organized and running efficiently. I would love that too, except that the reality is that old people don't change. This firm doesn't even have a document management system. They compost and print double-sided and scan everything rather than making copies, yet when I asked for a client list people got flustered. When I couldn't get into the drive where completed documents are stored the IT guy told me to just close down and try again tomorrow morning.
Last Friday when I left the bigger firm I got three hugs goodbye, one Facebook friend request, one offer to take me out to lunch this week, and two heartfelt emailed goodbyes. The gay HR guy was trying to bring me on board permanently, but got stuck when he tried to get the green light. He came to say goodbye to me Friday afternoon and promised to keep trying. The other women I worked near assured me he doesn't make empty promises, that if he said he'd try, he will. My fingers are crossed.
Of course I will do the best I can at this firm, but I think long-term I'll do better at the bigger one.
Labels: Legal eagle, Pounding the pavement, Work
posted by Green at 1/11/2010 07:13:00 PM
3 Comments:
In the meantime, can't you send them an official letter of application. And say it's so you can honestly tell job offices that you've been applying for work? And then beef it up, adding (diplomatically) that there are some organizational implementations that you'd like to help them with? Crossing fingers too!
Your description of the small firms you've worked at sound just like my mom's little firm. Except my mom is running around yelling because some vital document has been misplaced 30 minutes before it needs to be filed and everybody else is running around like chickens with the heads cut off trying to find it. It's sheer comedy. (It's also why I will never, ever work for my mother.)
Also, I really, really hope you get the job at the big firm!
Man, I really hope it works out at the big firm! Keep in touch with the people who liked you!!
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