Top Law Schools

Is it normal for there to be screaming matches, door slamming, and crying every day I come to work? This is not an exaggeration, literally every day there is a new fight, a new argument, a new quarrel. Almost all of them end with someone crying, someone cussing out another person, or someone slamming a door and storming out of the office. The people I work with don't handle disagreements like adults, they don't even handle them like teenagers; at my office, dispute resolution is handled like children. Some people are more culpable than others, but to a certain degree everyone is involved. As a mere law clerk, I primarily just keep to myself. Even so, on a number of occasions I've felt like I was getting sucked into the madness, though thus far I've been able to keep my cool.

This is my first exposure to a law firm environment, so I'm wondering if other law offices are also like this, or if I just happen to work at the loony bin? It's not that I can't handle the insanity, I can. I make decent money, my hours are flexible, and I actually enjoy the work. Although looking towards the future, as I plan to enroll in law school soon, I'm wondering whether I can expect a lifetime of lunacy.

In short, is there not firms where people treat each other cordially? where if you have a problem with someone you approach them about it as opposed to spreading things behind their back at the water cooler? where you keep calm if you disagree with someone and avoid raising your voice? where the drama at the office doesn't consume your life? where people treat their fellow employees with respect? Somebody give me a shred of hope, please.

All firms have some amount of office gossip and politics.

Each firm has a distinct office culture occupying some degree on the spectrum between tolerance on people screaming at each other and complete professionalism.

I have worked at two top law firms and they would never tolerate stuff like this. Something like this might happen "every once in a while" but if it does happen the partners/associates involved would get reprimanded for sure. Try interviewing with some other firms to get a job somewhere else. Certainly you should never get in an argument with attorneys for any reason or take sides. If anyone yells at you, just keep your cool and know that you are being much more professional then they are.

You're in a very unusual environment whether or not it's a law firm.