How many hours below the required target before you get fired or firm takes some action? Forum

[Winter is Coming]

"They cited Polsinelli and some other firm that apparently fire associates if they miss the required hours."

This is the most bizarre part of this: name dropping another firm here. Not sure if Posinelli is like the leader in your market but this seems incredibly odd.

I assume it's a peer to their firm. I think he was throwing it out here to see if it's true (which other people have responded it's not). Agree it's a bit weird. Normally I have seen partners pick Kirkland and say these outrageous things that are demonstrably false (i.e. everyone at Kirkland bills 2600 hours a year, etc.).

Yeah using Kirkland is the classic move in NYC at least.

[baseballfan660]

Op if you are a corporate associate and working in ny or would like to do so, pm me. Market paying firm, no billable requirement (but I think everyone comes close to 2,000 anyway because it’s busy). However, we have a lot of vacation time and it seems as though almost everyone uses most or all of it. people even remove you from emails when you’re out. Partners have encouraged vacations as well and actually have said to use your time. I can’t speak to leave because I don’t know anything about it, but 2 week at a time vacations are the norm here.

[Anonymous User]

Op if you are a corporate associate and working in ny or would like to do so, pm me. Market paying firm, no billable requirement (but I think everyone comes close to 2,000 anyway because it’s busy). However, we have a lot of vacation time and it seems as though almost everyone uses most or all of it. people even remove you from emails when you’re out. Partners have encouraged vacations as well and actually have said to use your time. I can’t speak to leave because I don’t know anything about it, but 2 week at a time vacations are the norm here.

Comes close to 2,000 even in this market? Fuck, sign me up. Been working 250-300/month for past 4 months.

[Anonymous User]

Op if you are a corporate associate and working in ny or would like to do so, pm me. Market paying firm, no billable requirement (but I think everyone comes close to 2,000 anyway because it’s busy). However, we have a lot of vacation time and it seems as though almost everyone uses most or all of it. people even remove you from emails when you’re out. Partners have encouraged vacations as well and actually have said to use your time. I can’t speak to leave because I don’t know anything about it, but 2 week at a time vacations are the norm here.

Comes close to 2,000 even in this market? Fuck, sign me up. Been working 250-300/month for past 4 months.

I meant that more as the floor haha.

[Anonymous User]

All I have to say is that one year I came in a full 500 hours below the stated minimum at my firm (no extenuating circumstances like FMLA or other leave, just laziness/group was slow/multiple long vacations). I’m still here!

[Anonymous User]

Wow, this has been very insightful and helpful.

Confirmed that Polsinelli is a peer firm hence the reference. I believe Perkins was the other one they mentioned.

Somebody hit the nail on the head up above, this is some serious nickel and dime-level bullshit.

[Anonymous User]

At my market paying V100, I've seen associates get fired for coming in around 1200 (with no signs of improvement), and the first sign of trouble is that they won't get a raise for the year after they bill 1200. Folks who are within 200 hours usually get the full raise unless the firm is trying to push them out for non-hours reasons. I haven't seen someone who is otherwise doing great get fired for being in the ballpark (200-300ish) with their hours (although obviously they may be pushed out for other reasons). No one would get fired for dropping an hour below the threshold, and no one would get less than a full raise for that. Bizarre that your practice group won't stick up for you - that's what would trouble me the most. I would get out of there.

[Anonymous User]

The suggestion that Polsinelli fires associates that don’t meet their hours is materially false.

Hard disagree. I personally know at least 2 associates at Polsinelli that were fired for low hours. They absolutely fire associates for low hours (which are directly a result of some of their groups not having enough work).

[Anonymous User]

The suggestion that Polsinelli fires associates that don’t meet their hours is materially false.

Hard disagree. I personally know at least 2 associates at Polsinelli that were fired for low hours. They absolutely fire associates for low hours (which are directly a result of some of their groups not having enough work).

Man this is way big intel and also super shitty. Any idea what the deficit was on hours? Was it more than one calendar year?

It sounds like their groups had some work that was handed to other associates and these two “starved”?

[Anonymous User]

The suggestion that Polsinelli fires associates that don’t meet their hours is materially false.

Hard disagree. I personally know at least 2 associates at Polsinelli that were fired for low hours. They absolutely fire associates for low hours (which are directly a result of some of their groups not having enough work).

Very interested to know more about this if possible since Polsinelli is in my top 3 lateral target firms right now. Could you elaborate any more?

Also, hope your friends all landed at other firms/jobs and are doing well.

[Anonymous User]

Can also confirm regarding Polsinelli, having worked there in the past. That firm is very sensitive to hours billed. In some instances, hours that got written off for reasons beyond your control (i.e., you billed your time appropriately, did not take longer than anticipated to finish a project, etc.) could also hurt you. Of the firms where I have worked, this was the only firm where I was concerned with exceeding the hours target in case hours were written off or were weighted differently (due to billing agreements with clients, also beyond your control). You also had to worry more about realization and other metrics, which they made available for your review every month.

My understanding was that this hours sensitivity was a relatively new development, flowing from a change in leadership and leadership taking a more conservative financial approach.