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Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 10:37 pm
by Anonymous User
I don't know my firm's policy regarding when it will comp an associate's car to get home after work. I'm apartment hunting and I'd be much less hesitant to pick a place further away if I knew I could get a free car ride home when I have to stay late.

Is there an industry-wide standard, or must I ask HR about the firm's policy?

Re: Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 10:38 pm
by smaug_
Anonymous User wrote:I don't know my firm's policy regarding when it will comp an associate's car to get home after work. I'm apartment hunting and I'd be much less hesitant to pick a place further away if I knew I could get a free car ride home when I have to stay late.

Is there an industry-wide standard, or must I ask HR about the firm's policy?
talk to HR

Re: Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 10:39 pm
by ph14
Anonymous User wrote:I don't know my firm's policy regarding when it will comp an associate's car to get home after work. I'm apartment hunting and I'd be much less hesitant to pick a place further away if I knew I could get a free car ride home when I have to stay late.

Is there an industry-wide standard, or must I ask HR about the firm's policy?
You didn't even tell us what city you are in, what type of firm, etc., so I have no idea how anyone could expect to answer this with any reasonable degree of confidence. So just call your firm and ask HR, ask an associate you know at the firm, or post your firm if biglaw and maybe someone will know the policy.

Re: Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 10:50 pm
by Anonymous User
ph14 wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:I don't know my firm's policy regarding when it will comp an associate's car to get home after work. I'm apartment hunting and I'd be much less hesitant to pick a place further away if I knew I could get a free car ride home when I have to stay late.

Is there an industry-wide standard, or must I ask HR about the firm's policy?
You didn't even tell us what city you are in, what type of firm, etc., so I have no idea how anyone could expect to answer this with any reasonable degree of confidence. So just call your firm and ask HR, ask an associate you know at the firm, or post your firm if biglaw and maybe someone will know the policy.
V50, Manhattan office to Brooklyn Heights, first year associate.

Re: Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 10:51 pm
by ph14
Anonymous User wrote:
ph14 wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:I don't know my firm's policy regarding when it will comp an associate's car to get home after work. I'm apartment hunting and I'd be much less hesitant to pick a place further away if I knew I could get a free car ride home when I have to stay late.

Is there an industry-wide standard, or must I ask HR about the firm's policy?
You didn't even tell us what city you are in, what type of firm, etc., so I have no idea how anyone could expect to answer this with any reasonable degree of confidence. So just call your firm and ask HR, ask an associate you know at the firm, or post your firm if biglaw and maybe someone will know the policy.
V50, Manhattan office to Brooklyn Heights, first year associate.
I would say, probably after a certain time at night. But don't you want some certainty before you make a housing decision based on this? Just call HR.

Re: Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 11:29 pm
by wert3813
ph14 wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
ph14 wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:I don't know my firm's policy regarding when it will comp an associate's car to get home after work. I'm apartment hunting and I'd be much less hesitant to pick a place further away if I knew I could get a free car ride home when I have to stay late.

Is there an industry-wide standard, or must I ask HR about the firm's policy?
You didn't even tell us what city you are in, what type of firm, etc., so I have no idea how anyone could expect to answer this with any reasonable degree of confidence. So just call your firm and ask HR, ask an associate you know at the firm, or post your firm if biglaw and maybe someone will know the policy.
V50, Manhattan office to Brooklyn Heights, first year associate.
I would say, probably after a certain time at night. But don't you want some certainty before you make a housing decision based on this? Just call HR.
Even if whoever at HR even remembered 5 minutes after the call which incoming asked them no way in hell they would care/think bad about you because of it. If you are that worried just email/text random associate you met during your SA.

Re: Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 1:34 am
by dixiecupdrinking
Unless your firm is unusually cheap, you can get a cab home if you're working late.

They won't care if you take the cab to Brooklyn Heights. It's not like they would even know where you went. You just submit the receipt.

The only even potential issue would be if you lived in NJ because then you can't take a yellow cab.

Re: Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 1:41 am
by Anonymous User
dixiecupdrinking wrote:Unless your firm is unusually cheap, you can get a cab home if you're working late.

They won't care if you take the cab to Brooklyn Heights. It's not like they would even know where you went. You just submit the receipt.

The only even potential issue would be if you lived in NJ because then you can't take a yellow cab.
Curious, why can't you take a yellow cab to NJ?

Re: Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 2:33 am
by ikethegremlin
Anonymous User wrote:
dixiecupdrinking wrote:Unless your firm is unusually cheap, you can get a cab home if you're working late.

They won't care if you take the cab to Brooklyn Heights. It's not like they would even know where you went. You just submit the receipt.

The only even potential issue would be if you lived in NJ because then you can't take a yellow cab.
Curious, why can't you take a yellow cab to NJ?
Well, you technically can, so I don't know what exactly s/he's saying. However, while the reluctance of manhattan yellow cab drivers to go to Brooklyn has mostly disappeared (in my experience, and certainly no one has a problem going to places like Brooklyn Heights) , nobody wants to drive to New Jersey because they have no idea where they are going, and can't pick anyone up for the return journey. Certainly wouldn't rely on it every night if you were limited to yellow cabs... Uber becomes really helpful with issues like this, they just don't care at all.

Re: Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 7:11 am
by legends159
V50 nyc most definitely has a car policy. Ask HR for the lawyer's handbook. I'm surprised you weren't asked to read and sign that you read it.

Re: Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 8:13 am
by NYSprague
^^^^

Outside of events and some pro bono stuff, the firm isn't paying, the client is. Firms have a policy but your client will be covering the bill.

Re: Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 9:14 am
by dixiecupdrinking
ikethegremlin wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
dixiecupdrinking wrote:Unless your firm is unusually cheap, you can get a cab home if you're working late.

They won't care if you take the cab to Brooklyn Heights. It's not like they would even know where you went. You just submit the receipt.

The only even potential issue would be if you lived in NJ because then you can't take a yellow cab.
Curious, why can't you take a yellow cab to NJ?
Well, you technically can, so I don't know what exactly s/he's saying. However, while the reluctance of manhattan yellow cab drivers to go to Brooklyn has mostly disappeared (in my experience, and certainly no one has a problem going to places like Brooklyn Heights) , nobody wants to drive to New Jersey because they have no idea where they are going, and can't pick anyone up for the return journey. Certainly wouldn't rely on it every night if you were limited to yellow cabs... Uber becomes really helpful with issues like this, they just don't care at all.
It's illegal for a cab not to take you to brooklyn. It's completely discretionary if they will take you to NJ.

Anyway my point was that there is no reason living in brooklyn would pose any issue whatsoever as far as cars home.

Re: Big Law Perk: Comped car ride home?

Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 9:35 am
by Anonymous User
No way it's an issue to Brooklyn. If you were taking a cab to the burbs or to like Newark or something it might be different though. Someone told us in orientation about an associate who billed a like $120 cab/car to a client nightly and eventually the firm got asked about it as did the associate (they still paid it, but the point is to go unnoticed with these things).

Still ask HR though, silly not to.