Lawyer thread

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Jax Teller, Apr 8, 2015.

  1. Tilly

    Tilly Souf Cack
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    I can easily see 2 weeks being a problem in a small firm. But if you know the court schedules, you should be able to do it if you plan around holidays or judicial conferences.
     
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  2. bro

    bro Your Mother’s Favorite Shitposter
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    I'd prefer having two separate one week vacations, but the point is all the same
     
  3. Bricktop the white

    Bricktop the white Well-Known Member

    I definitely know several solo guys who have resolved cases solely to protect their vacations
     
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  4. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    Billing hours can suck ALL of the dicks, but by far the greatest thing about it is the autonomy that comes with "when" you work. I can come in at 8, 9:30, or 12 without requesting or telling anyone. I've stayed past 4 on a Friday maybe four times in two years. If your hours are where they need to be at the end of the year, they don't really care how you acquire them (within reason, of course).

    Meh, that's a pretty naive view; especially if you have a strong staff. The whole protestant work ethic that is prevalent among Americans (and especially lawyers) is b/s. I hate it/ As the buddha said, "the trouble is, you think you have time."

    Also, it's 2019, so nobody can really "disappear" with email. I brought my work laptop with me, completed a few motions, and billed like 15-20 hours while abroad. It's less than ideal, but just a reality. I'll take that trade for extended vacations. You pretty much need to be able to respond to emails with 1-2 days.
     
    #7404 Nug, May 14, 2019
    Last edited: May 14, 2019
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  5. Bricktop the white

    Bricktop the white Well-Known Member

    John Morgan has been on vacation for most of the last 20 years but I think his firm is doing ok
     
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  6. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    This is a big one, too. For example, July 4 is on a Thursday this year. So basically Wed-Thurs-Fri of that week is a wash. Take off the week before or after, plus the week of the Fourth, and you miss like 6/7 real work days while taking a 2-week vacation.
     
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  7. Gallant Knight

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    easier to defense lawyers / associates to take off work vs someone who is responsible for bringing in business.
     
  8. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    Well yea, everyone's situation is different. You running your own shop versus me at a big firm carries entirely different expectations and responsibilities. But your statement was if you can disappear for 2 weeks, you're pretty expendable--which I disagree with.

    But regardless, take some time off man. Don't live to work.
     
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  9. Gallant Knight

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    i take 3 day weekends probably every other month.

    but, for example, i was at that mediation this morning. we had a client who was hit by a commercial truck call and it sounds like my staff might have fucked up signing up that case. that's a 20-80k fuck up.
     
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  10. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    Seems like you need some staff. May I interest you: https://www.the-mainboard.com/index.php?threads/tmb-law-student-thread.68695/page-91
     
  11. Gallant Knight

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  12. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    My dream scenario would be to have like a 1,000 billable requirement, but work 100% remotely. I play around with the number all the time, but I think I could do it for around $60K/year. Would definitely have to move, though. It's also much easier to say this as a bachelor with no dependents. Life happens fast.
     
  13. Gallant Knight

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    would be shocked if there aren't some of counsel jobs that are like that. but probably more for older people with significant trial experience.
     
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  14. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    I'm not currently in a position in life where I can pull it off. But it's always in the back of my mind.
     
  15. bro

    bro Your Mother’s Favorite Shitposter
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    my brother is an engineer and is moving with his g/f to Boston (she got some job with Harvard or something awesome). He is going to work remotely.

    If he and his job can do it, I suspect a lot of professions will be making that transition soon
     
  16. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    A lot of it is self-discipline. I work about 1-2 Fridays/month remotely, but am still not nearly as efficient as if I was in the office. It took me a while to get to where I can get anything substantive done remotely.
     
  17. Gallant Knight

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    a shit ton of the in-house salaried employees of state farm, allstate, liberty mutual, etc. work most of the time from home in houston.
     
  18. Ray McKigney

    Ray McKigney Feel my ubiquity
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    I pretty much agree with BamaNug here, at least from a defense bar perspective. As long as your billing and being responsive to clients, what does it matter if you are in your office, at the house, or traveling? I’m not sure how much of an issue “face time” is at big firms any more. It’s not an issue at my office at my very large firm. We are all professional, do good work, respond to clients in a timely manner and as a result we can essentially come and go as we please.
     
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  19. buy_dont_lease

    buy_dont_lease Ha ha ha. What a story, Mark.
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    Taking my first week-long vacation* in two years next month. AMA.

    *This does not include staying home and taking off the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, which I did last year.
     
  20. colonel_forbin

    colonel_forbin Well-Known Member
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    I definitely take more than the standard two weeks of vacation every year. Probably 1-2 days a month. But most of that is leaving at noon on Friday or just an entire Friday here and there. It's hard to take full weeks though. I'm taking the week of Memorial Day off and it'll only be the second time in 4.5 years that I will have taken more than two days off in a row.
     
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  21. RJF-GUMP

    RJF-GUMP Daubert Qualified in Cooler Thermodynamics
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    I have to put a bunch of stop gaps and safety mechanisms in motion when I'm going out of town for a week but it is doable. Never done 2 weeks. You just have to look at your calendar real hard and tie up any loose ends. Get partners to cover minor motion hearings. Get the vacation on the calendar way in advanced and blocked off. Never had anything devastating blow up while I was gone. I don't check emails when I go out of the country on vacation to the Caribbean etc. Defeats the whole purpose.
     
  22. wes tegg

    wes tegg I'm a Guy's guy, guys.
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    I haven't ever taken a true "vacation" where I didn't bring my laptop or check emails. Sucks, but I just accept it as a character flaw at this point. I rarely work Friday afternoons, but I more often than not work on Sundays. I'll also take a two hour lunch from time to time and just make up for it at home.
     
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  23. wes tegg

    wes tegg I'm a Guy's guy, guys.
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    I think I was physically in the office for one full week in December.
     
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  24. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    This is very similar to me. If my options are a one-week vacation where I can truly "disconnect," or a two-week vacation where I have to stay on top of emails, I'm choosing the latter every time. It's not that black and white, but the point stands. Also, it makes the first few days back sooo much less hectic if you can just stay mildly apprised of emails while you're out.

    I bill 1-2 hours almost every Sunday morning over coffee/breakfast if I'm at home. But I also leave early pretty much every Friday.
     
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  25. colonel_forbin

    colonel_forbin Well-Known Member
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    Oh yeah I probably average 6-8 hours a weekend. And I work 10+ hours a day Monday through Thursday.

    It's just tough to wake week long vacations at my small firm due to all the work I'm required to do for everyone else.
     
  26. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    You're a SCOTUS lawyer now, brah. Leverage that shit.
     
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  27. Oranjello

    Oranjello Well-Known Member
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    You're not a transactional guy but that wouldn't be all too hard if you took a GC type role for a few small companies. 4 companies at $15k/year could probably be done in around ~600-800 hours assuming no disputes arise.
     
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  28. Bricktop the white

    Bricktop the white Well-Known Member


    Leave and start your own firm instead of making other people rich
     
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  29. Oranjello

    Oranjello Well-Known Member
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    It's month 6 at my new job and I'm finally getting thrown enough work to hit my billable hour goals. Been holding off on taking too many Fridays or taking a real vacation until I am at least profitable (let's just ignore overhead) to the firm given that I have a bachelor party, wedding, and honeymoon in the next year. Had hoped to be profitable by Jan/Feb rather than May so I could at least fit in a 1 week summer trip without worry, but looks like that's pretty much out of the cards at this point. Actually have some sort of review with the managing partner next week and I was thinking about bringing up this very topic.
     
  30. colonel_forbin

    colonel_forbin Well-Known Member
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    Doing that and then coming back was the most depressed I've ever been. I'm like a career minor leaguer that got called up to the bigs, hit a grand slam, and then got sent right back down.
     
    #7430 colonel_forbin, May 14, 2019
    Last edited: May 14, 2019
  31. herb.burdette

    herb.burdette Meet me at the corner of 8th and Worthington
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    This is exactly what I’m doing this year.
     
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  32. herb.burdette

    herb.burdette Meet me at the corner of 8th and Worthington
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    . . . and I’m taking my laptop.
     
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  33. RJF-GUMP

    RJF-GUMP Daubert Qualified in Cooler Thermodynamics
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    I never take premises claims these days but got a call from a guy and his 59 year old mom and rest of family were staying in 2 rooms at a comfort inn with an adjoining door that they usually were just keeping open so they could go back and forth between the rooms. He said there were multiple chords that ran the length of the room's threshold and she got her foot/ankle caught in them and fell. Broke her hip. This happened Monday and she had hip replacement surgery today. I know defense will claim open and obvious and say you walked past it x number of times before this happened. And I have to prove the chords were actually there. I have several eye witnesses for that . Considering sending a PI to check into the room and document it/photograph etc. But I think with affidavits about the existence of the chords from the eye witnesses I can get past summary judgment.
     
  34. Gallant Knight

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    Have found that I get paid on most premises cases because they’re all referred to firms that work up/bill the fuck out of cases but don’t actually try any of them
     
  35. wes tegg

    wes tegg I'm a Guy's guy, guys.
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    I’m trying a premises case this week. :warn:
     
  36. Gallant Knight

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    If I had to try my premises cases I would lose 80% of them instead I get paid on 19/20 of them

    What a world
     
  37. Ray McKigney

    Ray McKigney Feel my ubiquity
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    I go to the beach with my family each year for a couple of weeks. I take my laptop and work as necessary. Agreed that’s just the nature of what we do and that’s never going to change. I have no qualms with leaving the office on a Tuesday afternoon to go home and go for a jog, take a long lunch, take care of an errand or something, and either work from home to finish up what I needed to do that day at the house or back at the office later.

    Im of the thought that, as long as these choices don’t negatively impact the substantive value you provide your client, then we can actually turn the shitty, horrible relentless nature of our job into a positive.

    I just bought a new house and am moving next week. Combine that with a bunch of time spent with clients last weekend at the Wells Fargo, Memorial Day, prepping my current house to sell, my billables this month will be the worst probably since I joined my current firm. I haven’t yet, and won’t, hear a peep about it from anyone. Can’t say that would happen while I was at my most 2 recent regional insurance defense firms, where any slight deviation from being on track was cause for immediate questioning by management.
     
  38. colonel_forbin

    colonel_forbin Well-Known Member
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    I just got a great premises case.

    ^ First time I've ever said that.
     
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  39. Gallant Knight

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    We have a good one where Coke is probably going to write us a check for $150k

    Have video of one of their delivery dudes loading cokes onto a shelf at a supermarket, drops a 2 liter and it goes everywhere in the center aisle and he just keeps loading instead of cleaning it up and my client absolutely ate shit
     
  40. dome foam

    dome foam ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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    did this happen at the coke store? otherwise, how is coke liable?

    please excuse my PI ignorance.
     
  41. Gallant Knight

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    They employed the dude who was delivering the coke and loading it onto the shelves

    It wasn’t an heb, Kroger, etc employee
     
  42. REGGNECK

    REGGNECK You wanna know what I been down , DONT BOTHER ME
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    “ you know how much you get fo a slip in a store”
     
  43. AHebrewToo

    AHebrewToo Albino Hebrew Extraordinaire
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    I have a pretty cool situation like that. My managing partner knows my life priorities are not to earn as much money as possible. I work remotely (transactional attorney), have a 1500 hr goal, am up for non equity partner, and will basically receive cost of living raises the rest of my career. It’s perfect for me.
     
  44. Gallant Knight

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    What is a non equity partner
     
  45. AHebrewToo

    AHebrewToo Albino Hebrew Extraordinaire
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    An employee that can’t be promoted again, basically.

    Better retirement benefits is the only reason I’m going through the process. I get a vote in group positions on technical issues. They get to bill me at a higher rate.
     
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  46. wes tegg

    wes tegg I'm a Guy's guy, guys.
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    Their employee created the hazard. It’s more a straight negligence case than a premises case (or, that’s the position I expect he takes to avoid the traditional premises defenses).
     
  47. RJF-GUMP

    RJF-GUMP Daubert Qualified in Cooler Thermodynamics
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    I’m surprised more ppl aren’t interested in comp. Bad back/neck injury for a $15 an hr earner $100,000 -$125,000 settlement, 25% , string some of them together and you’re well on your way to good earnings.
     
  48. wes tegg

    wes tegg I'm a Guy's guy, guys.
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    Comp doesn’t pay shit here.
     
  49. RJF-GUMP

    RJF-GUMP Daubert Qualified in Cooler Thermodynamics
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    I think the max fee in AL is 15%. That would be brutal.
     
  50. wes tegg

    wes tegg I'm a Guy's guy, guys.
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    It is, and the schedule is completely unfair. The only way to make money on comp it to do a ton of it.
     
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