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Gift Giving

Poll ended at Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:01 pm

Gift Card
14
61%
Packaged Gift
5
22%
Some Packaged, some card
4
17%
 
Total votes: 23

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Dec 02, 2017 2:04 pm

NYC2012 wrote:Not to be a dick, and I am all about gift giving - but it is hard to imagine giving my secretary $100 when I started ~one month ago and she hasn't even done a single thing for me yet. I doubt she ever will, I do everything myself?
I agree with this as a stub year. The assistant I was assigned just changed last week and I never asked the first one to do anything for me. I have yet to talk to my new assistant who's office is not close to mine. I will wait to give a gift until next year.

dixiecupdrinking

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by dixiecupdrinking » Sat Dec 02, 2017 2:28 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
NYC2012 wrote:Not to be a dick, and I am all about gift giving - but it is hard to imagine giving my secretary $100 when I started ~one month ago and she hasn't even done a single thing for me yet. I doubt she ever will, I do everything myself?
I agree with this as a stub year. The assistant I was assigned just changed last week and I never asked the first one to do anything for me. I have yet to talk to my new assistant who's office is not close to mine. I will wait to give a gift until next year.
Just give them $100. You haven't done anything useful for anyone as a stub, and yet you make $180,000 and will probably get a pro-rated bonus.

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LaLiLuLeLo

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by LaLiLuLeLo » Sat Dec 02, 2017 3:03 pm

NYC2012 wrote:Not to be a dick, and I am all about gift giving - but it is hard to imagine giving my secretary $100 when I started ~one month ago and she hasn't even done a single thing for me yet. I doubt she ever will, I do everything myself?
Learn to use your secretary. And while I generally get the stub year issue, you net over 8k a month. You can spare $100 for your secretary.

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sublime

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by sublime » Sat Dec 02, 2017 3:17 pm

LaLiLuLeLo wrote:
NYC2012 wrote:Not to be a dick, and I am all about gift giving - but it is hard to imagine giving my secretary $100 when I started ~one month ago and she hasn't even done a single thing for me yet. I doubt she ever will, I do everything myself?
Learn to use your secretary. And while I generally get the stub year issue, you net over 8k a month. You can spare $100 for your secretary.
Yea, possibly making your assistant hate you over $100 bucks seems incredibly short sighted.

At my firm, we do give gifts to paras, staff attorneys, janitorial ppl, and others.

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Dec 02, 2017 3:31 pm

Out curiosity how do associates handle gift giving when it comes to secretarial pools?

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PorscheFanatic

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by PorscheFanatic » Sat Dec 02, 2017 9:39 pm

Why is everyone being so cheap in this thread? I'm a stub year too, I've asked my secretary for help on like 2 things in the last couple months. But I chat with her occasionally, make it a point to say hi in the mornings on my way in, learned what kind of wine she likes, and hope that a decent bottle of that wine and $100 with a nice card will turn her graces in my favor when I do need help with something important (like formatting a document when I have 5 other things to do and I completely f*** up the formatting cause windows 10 sucks). I had a situation like that happen as a summer associate, and my secretary saved my butt because she was appreciative that I wrote her a handwritten thank you card after 2 weeks of being a summer and asking her all my stupid questions.

We make close to $9,000 after taxes with virtually no skillset/value add. Buy your secretary a damn gift, be nice/friendly with them, and get karma on your side. Their work can be miserable at times, just like ours, but for significantly less money. Show them the appreciation even if you barely have a relationship with them, because you'll need it someday.

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Johann

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Johann » Sat Dec 02, 2017 10:45 pm

cfcm wrote:Cash

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tyrant_flycatcher

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by tyrant_flycatcher » Sun Dec 03, 2017 5:54 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Out curiosity how do associates handle gift giving when it comes to secretarial pools?
Also interested, I don't have a secretary but the floor has 3-4 secretaries that do work for the non-partners

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Dec 03, 2017 7:50 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Scoth
Image

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Dec 03, 2017 9:18 pm

tyrant_flycatcher wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Out curiosity how do associates handle gift giving when it comes to secretarial pools?
Also interested, I don't have a secretary but the floor has 3-4 secretaries that do work for the non-partners
Same, our floor shares secretaries. I've had multiple different people help me when I request tasks (usually just copying/scanning or doing my expense reports).

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Dec 06, 2017 11:34 am

Sooo, exactly how are associates handling gift-giving to secretarial pools?

toast and bananas

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by toast and bananas » Wed Dec 06, 2017 12:08 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Sooo, exactly how are associates handling gift-giving to secretarial pools?
Lots of odd use of Anon ITT.

Why not just ask someone who was there last christmas what the norm is?

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:09 am

This past weekend I joined the gift-card crowd with three $150 Visa gift cards to the office staff. Done.

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magnum_law

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by magnum_law » Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:16 am

Are checks frowned upon?
Would think it's more presentable than cash and more flexible than giftcards

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:05 pm

sublime wrote:
LaLiLuLeLo wrote:
NYC2012 wrote:Not to be a dick, and I am all about gift giving - but it is hard to imagine giving my secretary $100 when I started ~one month ago and she hasn't even done a single thing for me yet. I doubt she ever will, I do everything myself?
Learn to use your secretary. And while I generally get the stub year issue, you net over 8k a month. You can spare $100 for your secretary.
Yea, possibly making your assistant hate you over $100 bucks seems incredibly short sighted.

At my firm, we do give gifts to paras, staff attorneys, janitorial ppl, and others.
Honest question: what reasonable, well-adjusted person would bear ill-will after not getting a Christmas gift from someone they've known ~2 months?
PorscheFanatic wrote:We make close to $9,000 after taxes with virtually no skillset/value add. Buy your secretary a damn gift, be nice/friendly with them, and get karma on your side. Their work can be miserable at times, just like ours, but for significantly less money. Show them the appreciation even if you barely have a relationship with them, because you'll need it someday.
First, we do not make $9K/month after taxes. Second, it's entirely possible to be nice/friendly without doling out cash for entirely self-serving reasons. Third, it's a job for both them and us and everyone is compensated for the work they do. The gift-schtick around here is so lame. Partners like cheaping out on support staff and create this culture of "gift ur secretary or else ur cheap lololol." Thanks for buying into the GC-schtick.

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A. Nony Mouse

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by A. Nony Mouse » Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:14 pm

Well someone’s defensive.

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jchiles

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by jchiles » Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:19 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
sublime wrote:
LaLiLuLeLo wrote:
NYC2012 wrote:Not to be a dick, and I am all about gift giving - but it is hard to imagine giving my secretary $100 when I started ~one month ago and she hasn't even done a single thing for me yet. I doubt she ever will, I do everything myself?
Learn to use your secretary. And while I generally get the stub year issue, you net over 8k a month. You can spare $100 for your secretary.
Yea, possibly making your assistant hate you over $100 bucks seems incredibly short sighted.

At my firm, we do give gifts to paras, staff attorneys, janitorial ppl, and others.
Honest question: what reasonable, well-adjusted person would bear ill-will after not getting a Christmas gift from someone they've known ~2 months?
PorscheFanatic wrote:We make close to $9,000 after taxes with virtually no skillset/value add. Buy your secretary a damn gift, be nice/friendly with them, and get karma on your side. Their work can be miserable at times, just like ours, but for significantly less money. Show them the appreciation even if you barely have a relationship with them, because you'll need it someday.
First, we do not make $9K/month after taxes. Second, it's entirely possible to be nice/friendly without doling out cash for entirely self-serving reasons. Third, it's a job for both them and us and everyone is compensated for the work they do. The gift-schtick around here is so lame. Partners like cheaping out on support staff and create this culture of "gift ur secretary or else ur cheap lololol." Thanks for buying into the GC-schtick.
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sublime

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by sublime » Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:36 pm

You are also getting a several thousand dollar bonus that you almost assuredly didn't really do anything to deserve. Does $100 really mean that much to you?

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:43 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
sublime wrote:
LaLiLuLeLo wrote:
NYC2012 wrote:Not to be a dick, and I am all about gift giving - but it is hard to imagine giving my secretary $100 when I started ~one month ago and she hasn't even done a single thing for me yet. I doubt she ever will, I do everything myself?
Learn to use your secretary. And while I generally get the stub year issue, you net over 8k a month. You can spare $100 for your secretary.
Yea, possibly making your assistant hate you over $100 bucks seems incredibly short sighted.

At my firm, we do give gifts to paras, staff attorneys, janitorial ppl, and others.
Honest question: what reasonable, well-adjusted person would bear ill-will after not getting a Christmas gift from someone they've known ~2 months?
PorscheFanatic wrote:We make close to $9,000 after taxes with virtually no skillset/value add. Buy your secretary a damn gift, be nice/friendly with them, and get karma on your side. Their work can be miserable at times, just like ours, but for significantly less money. Show them the appreciation even if you barely have a relationship with them, because you'll need it someday.
First, we do not make $9K/month after taxes. Second, it's entirely possible to be nice/friendly without doling out cash for entirely self-serving reasons. Third, it's a job for both them and us and everyone is compensated for the work they do. The gift-schtick around here is so lame. Partners like cheaping out on support staff and create this culture of "gift ur secretary or else ur cheap lololol." Thanks for buying into the GC-schtick.
Anon (good use of that feature by the way) is the kind of cheap skate I'm talking about. You remind me of the uncle at the start of Home Alone 2...

Also, I'm in a non-NY major market, on the cravath scale, married, and I'm getting just under $9k after taxes and maxing my 401k. Also, see the bolded, I said "close to $9k" not "we make $9k." And even if you're in NY, I'd imagine you still have to be over $8k if you're a Biglaw stub.

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by PorscheFanatic » Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:45 pm

F**kkkk lol. I shit on the guy above for being anon, and then I make that mistake. I'm the anon poster immediately above.

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by cfcm » Tue Dec 12, 2017 2:16 pm

magnum_law wrote:Are checks frowned upon?
Would think it's more presentable than cash and more flexible than giftcards
It’s always nice to be given another errand to run around the holidays, so checks are great.

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Damage Over Time » Tue Dec 12, 2017 2:29 pm

magnum_law wrote:Are checks frowned upon?
Would think it's more presentable than cash and more flexible than giftcards
Although most people (probably?) use their phones to deposit checks these days, I get the sense that giving a check is the same as giving cash, except less convenient.

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magnum_law

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by magnum_law » Tue Dec 12, 2017 2:44 pm

cfcm wrote:
magnum_law wrote:Are checks frowned upon?
Would think it's more presentable than cash and more flexible than giftcards
It’s always nice to be given another errand to run around the holidays, so checks are great.
"Terribly sorry to inconvenience you by having to take a pic of this $250 check I'm giving you" :lol:

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landshoes

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by landshoes » Tue Dec 12, 2017 2:49 pm

In NYC nothing is more presentable than cash.

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Re: Gift Giving

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:24 pm

Color me one of the weirdos who thinks giving cash is really weird. And I work in NYC biglaw and have lived in NYC my entire life.

At my firm we give paras cash too. Seems even more weird.

Paralegals make like $60k a year with OT in NYC big law. Giving them a $100 xmas bonus just seems ridiculous. It's not even the money. It's just principle. I'd happily spend $200 on a gift. But I can't help but think cash is weird.

I suppose it's less weird for your secretary because he/she doesn't make as much. But still. I think it's very strange to give anyone who works in an office desk job cash as a holiday bonus. Cash is for people who do physical labor and people who rely on tips and bonuses as part of their income.

Like, why shouldn't a senior associate give me (a junior) a cash holiday bonus too? I'd prefer to have cash than some gift too. But if I actually got one I'd not only think the person giving it to me was really weird but I'd actually feel insulted. I imagine I'd feel the same way as an admin or para, even if I'm making less.

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