Problem at work..... Forum

[Anonymous User]

I am at a southern midlaw firm. Summer Associate.
I had a senior associate read over my work to make sure it was good. The senior associate said it was really good. The assigning associate also said the work was "good." However, the junior partner who was in charge of the SA program basically told me that my work product needed work and that I needed to make xyz structural changes. Is this normal?

I feel like I am going to get no offered because of this. Has anyone had this happen to them?

[Anonymous User]

You'll get criticism. Different people have different expectations. It's tough to try to serve them all, but that's what you've got to do. Figure out what the partner is getting at, and do it next time. He probably is making a substantive, good point about your work--run with it and try to improve. That's all you can do anyhow.

[thexfactor]

You'll get criticism. Different people have different expectations. It's tough to try to serve them all, but that's what you've got to do. Figure out what the partner is getting at, and do it next time. He probably is making a substantive, good point about your work--run with it and try to improve. That's all you can do anyhow.

hmm... has anyone had a partner and associate on the same case that told you to do different things for your assignment?

[Aston2412]

Lol - at first I missed the distinction between associate and partner and I was like, "If your senior associate is telling you it's good, why the fuck do you care what the junior associate said?"

[gwuorbust]

you should be very, very worried. Most summer associates walk in from their basic LRW class and just start churning out perfect memos, briefs, case notes, etc. Their work never needs improvement. Infact, from what I hear most partners just fly around on G6s and then hit the models and bottles. associates usually just read over the work produced by summer associates, rubber stamp it, and then hop onto the learjet (G6s are reserved for the partners FYI). If you are not producing work that is suitable for for the USSC on the first draft, you will probably be no offered.

hth.

[Bronte]

Constructive feedback =/= no offer. Fix it, move on.

[PKSebben]

I am at a southern midlaw firm. Summer Associate.
I had a senior associate read over my work to make sure it was good. The senior associate said it was really good. The assigning associate also said the work was "good." However, the junior partner who was in charge of the SA program basically told me that my work product needed work and that I needed to make xyz structural changes. Is this normal?

I feel like I am going to get no offered because of this. Has anyone had this happen to them?

you're fine bro. just make the changes. You can't be expected (especially on structural stuff) to mesh right away. I think many lawyers at my firm are shitty writers and I have to acquiesce to changing "because" to "due to the fact that" and "after" to "subsequent." They also delete my serial commas, use too many commas in general (but NOT THE FUCKING SERIAL COMMA), and have no idea which is the correct dash to use. It's enough to drive a sane person mad.

[Aston2412]

The serial comma is for losers and the only dash is the em dash. The en dash is a pale imitation of the greatness that is em.

[PKSebben]

The serial comma is for losers and the only dash is the em dash. The en dash is a pale imitation of the greatness that is em.

lack of serial comma can introduce ambiguity for no fucking reason. Just the type of shit I want in legal writing.

[PKSebben]

agree with you on the em, though. It's the big swinging dick of the dash/hyphen family.

[Aston2412]

The serial comma can also create ambiguity.


I was having dinner with Prince Ferdinand, an Indian boddhisatva, and a fourteen year-old teen idol.

See there? Am I having dinner with three people or am I merely having dinner with two and wanted you to know that Prince Ferdinand is an Indian boddhisatva?

[PKSebben]

The serial comma can also create ambiguity.


I was having dinner with Prince Ferdinand, an Indian boddhisatva, and a fourteen year-old teen idol.

See there? Am I having dinner with three people or am I merely having dinner with two and wanted you to know that Prince Ferdinand is an Indian boddhisatva?

You'd use the em dash there, you know, like a real writer would if it was two people. Use of the comma is just silly. But that's journalistic style writing. In legal writing, that's just a failure of poor sentence structure. In legal writing, especial transaction work, the comma is hella important.

[Julio_El_Chavo]

I was having dinner with Prince Ferdinand and an Indian boddhisatva--a fourteen year-old teen idol.

[PKSebben]

I was having dinner with Prince Ferdinand and an Indian boddhisatva--a fourteen year-old teen idol.

hi-five.

[goodolgil]

The serial comma can also create ambiguity.


I was having dinner with Prince Ferdinand, an Indian boddhisatva, and a fourteen year-old teen idol.

See there? Am I having dinner with three people or am I merely having dinner with two and wanted you to know that Prince Ferdinand is an Indian boddhisatva?

You'd use the em dash there, you know, like a real writer would if it was two people. Use of the comma is just silly. But that's journalistic style writing. In legal writing, that's just a failure of poor sentence structure. In legal writing, especial transaction work, the comma is hella important.

Since there's so much dash talk ITT, you guys may wanna check out this recent Slate article. http://www.slate.com/id/2295413/

[PKSebben]

The serial comma can also create ambiguity.


I was having dinner with Prince Ferdinand, an Indian boddhisatva, and a fourteen year-old teen idol.

See there? Am I having dinner with three people or am I merely having dinner with two and wanted you to know that Prince Ferdinand is an Indian boddhisatva?

You'd use the em dash there, you know, like a real writer would if it was two people. Use of the comma is just silly. But that's journalistic style writing. In legal writing, that's just a failure of poor sentence structure. In legal writing, especial transaction work, the comma is hella important.

Since there's so much dash talk ITT, you guys may wanna check out this recent Slate article. http://www.slate.com/id/2295413/

The day I take my grammar advice from slate is that day I throw myself off a fucking building. It's like taking cooking lessons from the dude making volcano tacos at taco bell.

[Aston2412]

I was having dinner with Prince Ferdinand and an Indian boddhisatva--a fourteen year-old teen idol.

You misunderstand. The appositive phrase is "an Indian boddhisatva" not "a fourteen year-old teen idol."

You're proposed revision would have to look like this:

"I was having dinner with Prince Ferdinand -- an Indian boddhisatva -- and a fourteen year-old teen idol."

That just doesn't work for me.

[mths]

The serial comma can also create ambiguity.


I was having dinner with Prince Ferdinand, an Indian boddhisatva, and a fourteen year-old teen idol.

See there? Am I having dinner with three people or am I merely having dinner with two and wanted you to know that Prince Ferdinand is an Indian boddhisatva?

love it