Can I count on a vacation on specific date in biglaw? Forum

[Anonymous User]

After being at my BigLaw firm for roughly 1 year; Can I be fairly confident of being able to plan on getting at least 5 consecutive days off from work sometime between late September and mid November?

So like, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday...

Or is this insane? Figuring I started as a BigLaw associate in October or so, I would have been at the firm for about 1 year.

I am a current 1L planning on the big firm route. However, there is something I want to do with a family member that requires setting up years in advance. It's something I've always wanted to do and would be amazing to do before that family member is no longer around. If I planned it and had to cancel, I probably would never get another shot to try again; it'd be too late at that point.

Just wondering what my chances are that I would be able to pull something like this off; maybe by not using any vacation time at all before those days or something...

In case it may depend on practice group, I'm working in Patent Lit this summer, although that could change in 3 years. Thanks

[ph14]

It's probably possible, but definitely will require good communication with your work colleagues and superiors. It's also generally easier at times when it's less super busy (e.g., August at many firms). People do take vacations in big law. It's just that you run the risk of having to cancel the vacation the day before.

[NYSprague]

After being at my BigLaw firm for roughly 1 year; Can I be fairly confident of being able to plan on getting at least 5 consecutive days off from work sometime between late September and mid November?

So like, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday...

Or is this insane? Figuring I started as a BigLaw associate in October or so, I would have been at the firm for about 1 year.

I am a current 1L planning on the big firm route. However, there is something I want to do with a family member that requires setting up years in advance. It's something I've always wanted to do and would be amazing to do before that family member is no longer around. If I planned it and had to cancel, I probably would never get another shot to try again; it'd be too late at that point.

Just wondering what my chances are that I would be able to pull something like this off; maybe by not using any vacation time at all before those days or something...

In case it may depend on practice group, I'm working in Patent Lit this summer, although that could change in 3 years. Thanks

Yes, if you tell people you have had a once in a lifetime trip planned for four years, no one will make you cancel. My firm makes a huge effort at not canceling vacations. Just be sure to tell people after you have the job and actually start.

[84651846190]

There's a non-zero chance that your coworkers might hate you for it (even if they're superficially cool with it). When the shit hits the fan and you're taking pictures of hippos in Tanzania while your coworkers are prepping 4 depos per day and living off of caffeine tablets and coke, your coworkers aren't going to be thinking, "Gee golly, that's so great that Jim's on that safari during the end of fact discovery when we're working 18 hour days to get shit wrapped up!" It's more likely that they won't respond to your emails when you get back and try to "get back on the case." Also, you'll be behind on what's going on, and that's reason enough for them not to want to work with you... at least for a while (until you get caught up).

[Old Gregg]

There's a high likelihood that your coworkers might hate you for it (even if they're superficially cool with it). When the shit hits the fan and you're taking pictures of hippos in Tanzania while your coworkers are prepping 4 depos per day and living off of caffeine tablets and coke, your coworkers aren't going to be thinking, "Gee golly, that's so great that Jim gets to take a two week safari during the end of fact discovery when we're working 18 hour days to get shit wrapped up!"

Well then those associates need to get over themselves and grow up.

OP - Communicate your vacation. There are no guarantees, especially as you get more senior, but you can do your best by communicating, make sure you have adequate cover for the projects you're on.

[Anonymous User]

There's a high likelihood that your coworkers might hate you for it (even if they're superficially cool with it). When the shit hits the fan and you're taking pictures of hippos in Tanzania while your coworkers are prepping 4 depos per day and living off of caffeine tablets and coke, your coworkers aren't going to be thinking, "Gee golly, that's so great that Jim gets to take a two week safari during the end of fact discovery when we're working 18 hour days to get shit wrapped up!"

Well then those associates need to get over themselves and grow up.

OP - Communicate your vacation. There are no guarantees, especially as you get more senior, but you can do your best by communicating, make sure you have adequate cover for the projects you're on.

Actually much more positive response here than I anticipated.

Thanks for the responses all!

[dixiecupdrinking]

People take vacations. No worries there. I would be a little nervous about any "once in a lifetime definitely can't cancel no matter what" type plans. I mean, I think most firms will almost always respect things like honeymoons, but if it's something a little more idiosyncratic it may be tough to get across just how important it is to you.

Really though, at least in my experience, as a very junior associate it's hard to imagine that they can't work around your absence provided you give enough notice.

[Anonymous User]

Pick a firm with a set number of vacations and when you get an offer ask the associates about the vacation policy. At DPW you get 4 weeks a year and everyone takes all 4 weeks. You just get coverage for whatever you're working on and its expected that you're out of pocket during vacation. I can't imagine other firms with similar vacation policy is not the same. Big law is rarely as bad or inhumane as some make it out to be.

[IAFG]

There's a non-zero chance that your coworkers might hate you for it (even if they're superficially cool with it). When the shit hits the fan and you're taking pictures of hippos in Tanzania while your coworkers are prepping 4 depos per day and living off of caffeine tablets and coke, your coworkers aren't going to be thinking, "Gee golly, that's so great that Jim's on that safari during the end of fact discovery when we're working 18 hour days to get shit wrapped up!" It's more likely that they won't respond to your emails when you get back and try to "get back on the case." Also, you'll be behind on what's going on, and that's reason enough for them not to want to work with you... at least for a while (until you get caught up).

Your firm sounds shitty. People aren't like this at my firm at all.

[thegrayman]

In the course of my SA, I saw 2 people take vacation

1 person - midlevel, took vacation for 5 days (3 work days), actually worked out for them from what I could tell
1 person - first year, took a holiday weekend to go on a trip, on the drive there got called back into the office to work on something, ruined their vacation.

It seems like no matter how far ahead you plan something, if work conflicts, work wins.

[Old Gregg]

Yup, work will win. But the best way you can compensate is to have other associates cover. Good friend of mine who is senior to me is going on a long vacation. I will be managing her clients while she's gone.

Also, sometimes even a partner will cover for you (i.e., you're on a matter with a partner, and that partner can do the work while you're gone; basically the same as having the associate above you cover for you when you're on a project if it's associate, senior associate, partner staffed). It really just depends on your firm. Also depends on your rapport with your colleagues. I always offer up cover if I have time. It saves favors for later.

[Anonymous User]

Vacations are almost always respected, though you may be asked to call in remotely if you have some sort of specific knowledge. That being said, there are rules to maximize vacation success:

(1) Weekend trips are much more likely to be disrupted. Its difficult - and inefficient - to find someone to cover for you for 2-3 days. The best way to take a vacation in Biglaw is to take it in a minimum of 9 day (i.e., a whole work week and the weekends on each end) chunks. 2 weeks at a time is even more efficient. This guarantees they will staff coverage for you and that the coverage will become involved enough in the deal so that you dont need to be on calls and such.

(2) You have to request the time in advance. The further in advance you request, the more likely you'll get the time and that it will be respected. You want an email record of having gone to your supervising / staffing attorneys and having said "I am planning to take vacation on [DATE] to [DATE]. Please let me know if this will not work from a staffing perspective."

(3) You have to stand up to people. If a partner broadly hints he'd like you to stick around, you have to have the balls to ignore it. Like all powerful people, partners push to see what they can get and will take what you give them. They will not hold it against you if you say "No", as long as its reasonable (i.e., you're not taking vacations all the time). Put differently - how can they have you negotiating against people outside the firm if you can't negotiate your own damn vacation?

(4) I always schedule my vacations so that the first few days are in a place with spotty cell coverage. Then I let folks know it, so they get the point not to call me.

(5) If the shit really hits the fan, the firm should pay for any cost incurred in connection with cancellation. This has never happened to me or most of my colleagues - but I have one colleague who was required to fly back early from a tropical vacation for good reason (he had been working on preparing bankruptcy papers for a client, the client all of a sudden had a cash crunch and needed to file for bankruptcy immediately, he was the only senior associate at the firm with the knowledge to push the papers over the line). The firm paid for his airfare change fee and the cost of the hotel time that he gave up.

[NotMyRealName09]

Just tell people way in advance and when people start to try and scheduling shit during your vacation, be assertive and say you've got a vacation scheduled and it will have to wait.

And if you work somewhere that requires you to cancel a long-planned family vacation for work, reassess the priorities of your life. There are unavoidable emergencies, and then there are assholes.

[09042014]

There's a non-zero chance that your coworkers might hate you for it (even if they're superficially cool with it). When the shit hits the fan and you're taking pictures of hippos in Tanzania while your coworkers are prepping 4 depos per day and living off of caffeine tablets and coke, your coworkers aren't going to be thinking, "Gee golly, that's so great that Jim's on that safari during the end of fact discovery when we're working 18 hour days to get shit wrapped up!" It's more likely that they won't respond to your emails when you get back and try to "get back on the case." Also, you'll be behind on what's going on, and that's reason enough for them not to want to work with you... at least for a while (until you get caught up).

Your firm sounds shitty. People aren't like this at my firm at all.

Yea wth.

[09042014]

The real answer depends on how much your partner hates her life and how how much of a huge pussy you are.

You can't generalize because there are some shit bosses who don't take vacation and don't think you should either. If you work for some like that you gotta stand your ground.

Worse than that are partners who just pretend you are at work and just email you a normal workload of work. At least the first will reimburse the cost.