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Hi all, I could really use some good advice on this one.

As I wait for admissions decisions to roll in, I am gradually going insane at my job. Since August I've been working at a business/real estate litigation boutique. It's a pretty good gig with one exception: My boss is a Grade A Asshole. Among other things he has taken business expenses out of employee paychecks, berates employees constantly, borderline sexually harasses paralegals half his age, verbally abuses his wife and cheats on her, and just generally is cocky as fuck thinking he's God's gift to humanity...you get the picture.

I took this job to get some experience with law before school and to have a good reference for a LOR to future employers, especially for my 1L Summer. My question is what to do now? I can't stand this guy, and before you come at me with some line like all bosses/lawyers are dicks, trust me that nobody is on this guy's level.

Will it look bad if I quit this job and find a new one? I could still get good references from all of the senior and junior associates I work under, just not from the dickhead managing Partner. How much do miscellaneous law jobs like mine matter for 1L Summer employment? I could really use some perspective from current students.

They don't matter much at all. Working a single day at the firm or 5 years is the same as far as legal employers are concerned. It's just space filler on your resume and a one sentence line on the cover letter. Quit, find a new job.

Ok. Were you able to get LORs from your 1L profs? Also, you don't think I might label myself a quitter? This is after all my first and only full time job after undergrad.

Cade McNown wrote:Ok. Were you able to get LORs from your 1L profs? Also, you don't think I might label myself a quitter? This is after all my first and only full time job after undergrad.

You can get LOR from your 1L profs for your 1L summer employment. Honestly, the only time I have seen them even used is for diversity scholarships/applications. Usually firms just want some or all of...resume, transcript (undergrad and law school), cover letter, writing sample.

So firms don't ask for reference letters or contact details??? Stupid followup, but presumably it's a plus to be able to provide a good ref letter from 0L legal-type employment, right?

You should be able to establish sufficiently good relationships your 1L year to get letters of rec or to have professors act as references.

If I were you I'd just endure your boss, though. It pays and you won't be there for too long. And you might as well get used to dealing with people who may or may not be abrasive in the work place.