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[zot1]

I don't think anyone is trying to be mean or anything. It's just hard when someone who hasn't been in your shoes tells you what you should or shouldn't do. I think that's why people were trying to figure out whether he practiced and whatnot.

[kellyfrost]

At a callback interview I had a partner ask me if I wanted a drink (it was like 2pm). I thought he was joking and I declined--but he poured himself a bourbon for my 20 minute interview. This was in Cleveland fwiw

Did you get the job? I wonder if your acceptance or declining of the bourbon had any role in whether or not you were offered. I, unlike some on this forum, enjoy nightcaps, daycaps, or whatever they may be. I also think it would be a welcoming culture, for me, to work in an office where you were able to do such a thing. Obviously, if the consumption of alcohol lead to problems in the office or with your work, or with clients, then it would need to be addressed.

I guess this partner also runs the risk of offending someone by pouring a drink before a job interview.

I probably would have accepted and then told all my law school buddies about how awesome my interview went.

[unlicensedpotato]

"Mmm... boy, that Hennigans goes down smooth. And afterwards, you don't even smell."

"It'll be our little secret -- No smell, no tell, Hennigans"

[Anonymous User]

At a callback interview I had a partner ask me if I wanted a drink (it was like 2pm). I thought he was joking and I declined--but he poured himself a bourbon for my 20 minute interview. This was in Cleveland fwiw

Did you get the job? I wonder if your acceptance or declining of the bourbon had any role in whether or not you were offered. I, unlike some on this forum, enjoy nightcaps, daycaps, or whatever they may be. I also think it would be a welcoming culture, for me, to work in an office where you were able to do such a thing. Obviously, if the consumption of alcohol lead to problems in the office or with your work, or with clients, then it would need to be addressed.

I guess this partner also runs the risk of offending someone by pouring a drink before a job interview.

I probably would have accepted and then told all my law school buddies about how awesome my interview went.

Haha yeah I got the job. I ended up having some drinks with this partner and two others at a dinner that night.

I'm glad I didn't accept at the interview though. Never know how a subsequent partner would react or something.

[kellyfrost]

It's a little frightening that this profession is ok enough with alcoholism that it's apparently considered acceptable to drink alone in your office at night. But whatever, carry on. I guess a glass of bourbon every now and then is better than snorting coke in the restrooms.

I'm not sure you know what alcoholism is. There's a big difference between having a nightcap and getting wrecked.

Ironic. I'm not sure you know what alcoholism is either. Hint: It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with getting "wrecked."

AFAIK, which admittedly all comes from listening to old episodes of Loveline, alcoholism is defined by continuing to drink in the face of adverse consequences. Getting wrecked is way more likely to produce those consequences than having a single nightcap.

Blackacre, I'm not sure why you're reading "need" in to the OP. Some people just enjoy finishing the day with a drink. Presumably if OP was working a job that got him home at a normal hour consistently he wouldn't be asking this. It has nothing to do with escaping reality or an inability to cope, etc. if OP said he HAD to get alcohol in him by 730 and was staggering home, then that would be a different story.

Eh, I think this is a little overly simple. I also don't think it's unfair to read "need" into the question of whether you can drink in the office at night. Not saying that *is* the case, but it's not out of the question.

There isn't a "need" to have alcohol in the office. I would be fine either way. It is more of a "would like to" have. But at the same time, I wouldn't want to jeopardize a job by doing so. This has nothing to do with escaping reality or inability to cope, it has everything to do with enjoying a nice drink at the end of a long day.

I was reminded of a funny quote I have heard: "I hate when people say you don't need alcohol to have fun... well you don't need running shoes to run but it sure helps!"

[kellyfrost]

At a callback interview I had a partner ask me if I wanted a drink (it was like 2pm). I thought he was joking and I declined--but he poured himself a bourbon for my 20 minute interview. This was in Cleveland fwiw

Did you get the job? I wonder if your acceptance or declining of the bourbon had any role in whether or not you were offered. I, unlike some on this forum, enjoy nightcaps, daycaps, or whatever they may be. I also think it would be a welcoming culture, for me, to work in an office where you were able to do such a thing. Obviously, if the consumption of alcohol lead to problems in the office or with your work, or with clients, then it would need to be addressed.

I guess this partner also runs the risk of offending someone by pouring a drink before a job interview.

I probably would have accepted and then told all my law school buddies about how awesome my interview went.

Haha yeah I got the job. I ended up having some drinks with this partner and two others at a dinner that night.

I'm glad I didn't accept at the interview though. Never know how a subsequent partner would react or something.

Awesome! Probably best you didn't accept at the interview though, looking at it rationally. Are you still at the firm? Is this firm ok with drinking nightcaps at the office? Thanks for the anecdote contributing to this awesome thread.

[Anonymous User]

At an insurance firm I used to work at, drinking usually began at 12:01 every day for a lot of people. The office had a fully stocked liquor cabinet. Nobody really cared as long as it didn't interfere with your work. There were some unwritten rules like "Don't drink if a client comes in" and "drink out of a coffee mug" but overall alcohol was welcome.

[A. Nony Mouse]

There isn't a "need" to have alcohol in the office. I would be fine either way. It is more of a "would like to" have. But at the same time, I wouldn't want to jeopardize a job by doing so. This has nothing to do with escaping reality or inability to cope, it has everything to do with enjoying a nice drink at the end of a long day.

Yeah, I didn't mean that was the only possibility. Myself, if I'm still at the office, my day hasn't really ended yet, and I want to get the hell out of there, not sit and have a drink. That's the only reason it's kind of incomprehensible to me. But I also don't do biglaw hours unless I have so much to do that there's no way I'm stopping to have a drink.

[kellyfrost]

There isn't a "need" to have alcohol in the office. I would be fine either way. It is more of a "would like to" have. But at the same time, I wouldn't want to jeopardize a job by doing so. This has nothing to do with escaping reality or inability to cope, it has everything to do with enjoying a nice drink at the end of a long day.

Yeah, I didn't mean that was the only possibility. Myself, if I'm still at the office, my day hasn't really ended yet, and I want to get the hell out of there, not sit and have a drink. That's the only reason it's kind of incomprehensible to me. But I also don't do biglaw hours unless I have so much to do that there's no way I'm stopping to have a drink.

That makes sense. I'm odd in that even if I am done for the day, I don't mind sitting around the office for a little bit longer, especially if others are doing the same thing. I don't enjoy going out to bars or happy hour very much anymore. For me, it is much easier to have a drink at the office, or when I get home, or if I am going out to a restaurant for dinner. I'd much rather have a couple of drinks at the office than head to the nearest bar.

But it is too early this beautiful Monday morning to be thinking about drinking! I've got work to do!

[kellyfrost]

At an insurance firm I used to work at, drinking usually began at 12:01 every day for a lot of people. The office had a fully stocked liquor cabinet. Nobody really cared as long as it didn't interfere with your work. There were some unwritten rules like "Don't drink if a client comes in" and "drink out of a coffee mug" but overall alcohol was welcome.

12:01! Those guys don't mess around. As long as it doesn't interfere with your work it is fine by me, but I don't write the office rules. Did you ever notice that it was interfering with work or otherwise causing problems for any of your co-workers?

When I was much younger, I knew an insurance agent who used to crack open the bottle at 12:00 noon every day. It was basically an understanding that if you needed to reach him or needed something to get done, you needed to get a hold of him before noon, otherwise it wasn't happening. I heard of this second hand, but apparently it wasn't pouring a bourbon for a drink, it was drinking hard alcohol from the bottle. I think this situation dealt more with alcoholism and other issues rather than just a nightcap at the office.

[1styearlateral]

At a callback interview I had a partner ask me if I wanted a drink (it was like 2pm). I thought he was joking and I declined--but he poured himself a bourbon for my 20 minute interview. This was in Cleveland fwiw

Did you get the job? I wonder if your acceptance or declining of the bourbon had any role in whether or not you were offered. I, unlike some on this forum, enjoy nightcaps, daycaps, or whatever they may be. I also think it would be a welcoming culture, for me, to work in an office where you were able to do such a thing. Obviously, if the consumption of alcohol lead to problems in the office or with your work, or with clients, then it would need to be addressed.

I guess this partner also runs the risk of offending someone by pouring a drink before a job interview.

I probably would have accepted and then told all my law school buddies about how awesome my interview went.

Haha yeah I got the job. I ended up having some drinks with this partner and two others at a dinner that night.

I'm glad I didn't accept at the interview though. Never know how a subsequent partner would react or something.

For me, personally, if I was in that situation, I would have felt that it was a test to see if I would accept. But perhaps I'm just paranoid.

[smallfirmassociate]

You can count on it. Not to beat a regularly beaten dead horse, but it is of course well-known that biglaw is the only industry with unpredictable hours and intense pressure.

As has been said, get back to us after you've been in practice for two years. It's not that you're saying patently wrong things, but you're looking at this with all the nuanced understanding of a typical second grader trying to explain linear algebra to a room full of MIT students. "Well, it's math. Math is hard. I like math. You all like math! You have to work hard at math! This math has a lot of letters and numbers and var-ee-ah-bulls" That's why people just want you to piss off.

Anyway, what I take from this thread is that I'm fine transferring all my whisky bottles to the office when I get started.

But you should work on the reading comprehension in the meantime, or else you're not going to excel at all the research tasks you'll be given.

[stego]

At a callback interview I had a partner ask me if I wanted a drink (it was like 2pm). I thought he was joking and I declined--but he poured himself a bourbon for my 20 minute interview. This was in Cleveland fwiw

Had a similar experience where the hiring partner offered me a bourbon, but that was when he also offered me the job on the spot, so there may have been influence. Wilmington fwiw.

If I had to spend every day in Wilmington, I'd drink every chance I could get.

Plenty of people commute from Philly!

[jimmythecatdied6]

How about rolling up a late night doobie?

[rpupkin]

At a callback interview I had a partner ask me if I wanted a drink (it was like 2pm). I thought he was joking and I declined--but he poured himself a bourbon for my 20 minute interview. This was in Cleveland fwiw

Had a similar experience where the hiring partner offered me a bourbon, but that was when he also offered me the job on the spot, so there may have been influence. Wilmington fwiw.

If I had to spend every day in Wilmington, I'd drink every chance I could get.

Plenty of people commute from Philly!

That does not change my answer.

[cbbinnyc]

At a callback interview I had a partner ask me if I wanted a drink (it was like 2pm). I thought he was joking and I declined--but he poured himself a bourbon for my 20 minute interview. This was in Cleveland fwiw

Did you get the job? I wonder if your acceptance or declining of the bourbon had any role in whether or not you were offered. I, unlike some on this forum, enjoy nightcaps, daycaps, or whatever they may be. I also think it would be a welcoming culture, for me, to work in an office where you were able to do such a thing. Obviously, if the consumption of alcohol lead to problems in the office or with your work, or with clients, then it would need to be addressed.

I guess this partner also runs the risk of offending someone by pouring a drink before a job interview.

I probably would have accepted and then told all my law school buddies about how awesome my interview went.

Haha yeah I got the job. I ended up having some drinks with this partner and two others at a dinner that night.

I'm glad I didn't accept at the interview though. Never know how a subsequent partner would react or something.

Awesome! Probably best you didn't accept at the interview though, looking at it rationally. Are you still at the firm? Is this firm ok with drinking nightcaps at the office? Thanks for the anecdote contributing to this awesome thread.

Have you ever, under the influence of alcohol, questioned the teachings of the Mormon church?

[kellyfrost]

At a callback interview I had a partner ask me if I wanted a drink (it was like 2pm). I thought he was joking and I declined--but he poured himself a bourbon for my 20 minute interview. This was in Cleveland fwiw

Did you get the job? I wonder if your acceptance or declining of the bourbon had any role in whether or not you were offered. I, unlike some on this forum, enjoy nightcaps, daycaps, or whatever they may be. I also think it would be a welcoming culture, for me, to work in an office where you were able to do such a thing. Obviously, if the consumption of alcohol lead to problems in the office or with your work, or with clients, then it would need to be addressed.

I guess this partner also runs the risk of offending someone by pouring a drink before a job interview.

I probably would have accepted and then told all my law school buddies about how awesome my interview went.

Haha yeah I got the job. I ended up having some drinks with this partner and two others at a dinner that night.

I'm glad I didn't accept at the interview though. Never know how a subsequent partner would react or something.

Awesome! Probably best you didn't accept at the interview though, looking at it rationally. Are you still at the firm? Is this firm ok with drinking nightcaps at the office? Thanks for the anecdote contributing to this awesome thread.

Have you ever, under the influence of alcohol, questioned the teachings of the Mormon church?

Unfamiliar with the teachings of that church, except for episodes of South Park.

[Anonymous User]

At a callback interview I had a partner ask me if I wanted a drink (it was like 2pm). I thought he was joking and I declined--but he poured himself a bourbon for my 20 minute interview. This was in Cleveland fwiw

Had a similar experience where the hiring partner offered me a bourbon, but that was when he also offered me the job on the spot, so there may have been influence. Wilmington fwiw.

If I had to spend every day in Wilmington, I'd drink every chance I could get.

Plenty of people commute from Philly!

That does not change my answer.

Wilmington Anon here. Haha, my interviewer commutes from a suburb in PA, and has multiple children at home. So not your typical stuck in the shitty city of Wilmington bro.

[Anonymous User]

"Mmm... boy, that Hennigans goes down smooth. And afterwards, you don't even smell."

"It'll be our little secret -- No smell, no tell, Hennigans"

"That's right folks. I just had three shots of Hennigans and I don't smell. Imagine, you can walk around drunk all day,"

**Edit, didn't mean to quote anonymously : TLSaul2001

[Anonymous User]

I keep a bottle of Glenlivet 12 tucked away in my office bookcase. Don't break it every time I'm there late, but sometimes it's nice to enjoy a bit of scotch during a late night at the office. And way more practical than a bottle of wine or something that will go bad or need refrigeration. A lot of other lawyers here, partners and associates, keep a bottle of some sort of booze in their offices.

[baal hadad]

2ndary mkt, partners keep booze in the office, firm has a locked liquor cabinet u can obtain the keys to Friday. Beer, wine, or liqor on a Friday at 5:30 is common. It's helpful to stick around for a drink or two for the camaraderie

[jbagelboy]

It's a little frightening that this profession is ok enough with alcoholism that it's apparently considered acceptable to drink alone in your office at night. But whatever, carry on. I guess a glass of bourbon every now and then is better than snorting coke in the restrooms.

Is this puritan thing a schtick. Are people really this judgmental.

[jbagelboy]

It's a little frightening that this profession is ok enough with alcoholism that it's apparently considered acceptable to drink alone in your office at night. But whatever, carry on. I guess a glass of bourbon every now and then is better than snorting coke in the restrooms.

I'm not sure you know what alcoholism is. There's a big difference between having a nightcap and getting wrecked.

Ironic. I'm not sure you know what alcoholism is either. Hint: It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with getting "wrecked."

Yeah. I'm sorry, but imo dealing with the pressure of working long hours by having a nightcap in your office on a regular basis is not an indicator of a healthy relationship with alcohol. Given the prevalence of alcoholism in this profession, particularly of functioning alcoholism, I find it weird that it's considered totally fine to drink in your office. It muddles the separation between work/home, and makes it much easier for people to escalate their consumption. Not to mention the stigma re: professionalism.

For me, that's completely different from drinking in a social setting like a happy hour, or at home. Maybe that's a pointless distinction and I'm just a prude.

You're acting incredibly prude. People have a drink alone all the time to unwind. It's totally normal.

Now finishing an entire bottle of bourbon alone every night, that's a different story.

[zot1]

I could use a very strong drink right about... NOW.

[Anonymous User]

It's a little frightening that this profession is ok enough with alcoholism that it's apparently considered acceptable to drink alone in your office at night. But whatever, carry on. I guess a glass of bourbon every now and then is better than snorting coke in the restrooms.

I'm not sure you know what alcoholism is. There's a big difference between having a nightcap and getting wrecked.

Ironic. I'm not sure you know what alcoholism is either. Hint: It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with getting "wrecked."

Yeah. I'm sorry, but imo dealing with the pressure of working long hours by having a nightcap in your office on a regular basis is not an indicator of a healthy relationship with alcohol. Given the prevalence of alcoholism in this profession, particularly of functioning alcoholism, I find it weird that it's considered totally fine to drink in your office. It muddles the separation between work/home, and makes it much easier for people to escalate their consumption. Not to mention the stigma re: professionalism.

For me, that's completely different from drinking in a social setting like a happy hour, or at home. Maybe that's a pointless distinction and I'm just a prude.

Yes, you are.