Top Law Schools

so ambivalent wrote:So I started recently as a small (less than 4 attorney) firm in a medium market (not a major US city but a decent sized city with the biggest legal market in the state). It's mostly civil litigation which I love. I get interact with clients everyday and have alot of variety. I am happy with the pay and I love the partner who handles most of those.
However, the other partner is a lazy idiot, and, since there are only 2 partners, I have to work with him. He's especially shitty at transactional matters (he handles some purchase agreements for small companies that are usually only worth a few million at most). Like he wants every fucking schedule (we're talking inventory, AR, AP etc) printed because he apparently can't look at excel on a computer screen and then he doesn't even look at the printed stuff. And he waits till the last minute and then, the day we have to close, leaves for a (non-work related) 2 hour lunch at the Indian buffet. This would be fine with me if I could avoid him by working with other partners or even if I needed billables and had to work with him. But I am hitting my billable targets and these rushed and sloppy transactional things cut into litigation matters that I have for the other partner that I've put on the backburner because this partner makes every transaction a fire drill and has me waste time printing stuff and going over it multiple times because he didn't review it fully the first 1-3 times. How would you approach this? I've tried being like "uhhh I have enough work" and he's like "fine I'll just do it I guess" or "so you're only working on this one case" when I am actually handling 4+ cases on my own including a motion for summary judgment where a client's company is on the line. I wonder if I need to sit down with the other partner (the one I like who does all litigation) and be like "look, I keep getting this urgent stuff for the other guy and it's eating into things I've already committed to for you, what would you like me to prioritize?"
But the other issue, and this has become a total rant, is that I do not know if I can stick it out at a place with a partner like this when the firm is 4 ppl. When I was hired they said there was an expectation I would become a partner and hire my own associates and I do not want to this guy to be a partner in any firm I stay with long term. Short-term, I feel like maybe it will also drive me crazy. It's all white dudes (I am a woman), there is no maternity policy, and I am not even included on the firm website right now nor was I allowed to send out Christmas cards. I get the sense that I am just the office bitch at this point, which would be fine if I knew I could move up here and stay long term, but I wonder if I should start looking elsewhere. That being said, I do love the actual non-transactional work and other people, but when it's small and someone is an idiot, you just can't get away from the idiocy.
What would people in my position do?
Again, sorry for the rant. Was trying to give as much info as possible.

so ambivalent wrote:So I started recently as a small (less than 4 attorney) firm in a medium market (not a major US city but a decent sized city with the biggest legal market in the state). It's mostly civil litigation which I love. I get interact with clients everyday and have alot of variety. I am happy with the pay and I love the partner who handles most of those.
However, the other partner is a lazy idiot, and, since there are only 2 partners, I have to work with him. He's especially shitty at transactional matters (he handles some purchase agreements for small companies that are usually only worth a few million at most). Like he wants every fucking schedule (we're talking inventory, AR, AP etc) printed because he apparently can't look at excel on a computer screen and then he doesn't even look at the printed stuff. And he waits till the last minute and then, the day we have to close, leaves for a (non-work related) 2 hour lunch at the Indian buffet. This would be fine with me if I could avoid him by working with other partners or even if I needed billables and had to work with him. But I am hitting my billable targets and these rushed and sloppy transactional things cut into litigation matters that I have for the other partner that I've put on the backburner because this partner makes every transaction a fire drill and has me waste time printing stuff and going over it multiple times because he didn't review it fully the first 1-3 times. How would you approach this? I've tried being like "uhhh I have enough work" and he's like "fine I'll just do it I guess" or "so you're only working on this one case" when I am actually handling 4+ cases on my own including a motion for summary judgment where a client's company is on the line. I wonder if I need to sit down with the other partner (the one I like who does all litigation) and be like "look, I keep getting this urgent stuff for the other guy and it's eating into things I've already committed to for you, what would you like me to prioritize?"
But the other issue, and this has become a total rant, is that I do not know if I can stick it out at a place with a partner like this when the firm is 4 ppl. When I was hired they said there was an expectation I would become a partner and hire my own associates and I do not want to this guy to be a partner in any firm I stay with long term. Short-term, I feel like maybe it will also drive me crazy. It's all white dudes (I am a woman), there is no maternity policy, and I am not even included on the firm website right now nor was I allowed to send out Christmas cards. I get the sense that I am just the office bitch at this point, which would be fine if I knew I could move up here and stay long term, but I wonder if I should start looking elsewhere. That being said, I do love the actual non-transactional work and other people, but when it's small and someone is an idiot, you just can't get away from the idiocy.
What would people in my position do?
Again, sorry for the rant. Was trying to give as much info as possible.

fats provolone wrote:team up with the other partner and kill him

so ambivalent wrote:So I started recently as a small (less than 4 attorney) firm in a medium market (not a major US city but a decent sized city with the biggest legal market in the state). It's mostly civil litigation which I love. I get interact with clients everyday and have alot of variety. I am happy with the pay and I love the partner who handles most of those.
However, the other partner is a lazy idiot, and, since there are only 2 partners, I have to work with him. He's especially shitty at transactional matters (he handles some purchase agreements for small companies that are usually only worth a few million at most). Like he wants every fucking schedule (we're talking inventory, AR, AP etc) printed because he apparently can't look at excel on a computer screen and then he doesn't even look at the printed stuff. And he waits till the last minute and then, the day we have to close, leaves for a (non-work related) 2 hour lunch at the Indian buffet. This would be fine with me if I could avoid him by working with other partners or even if I needed billables and had to work with him. But I am hitting my billable targets and these rushed and sloppy transactional things cut into litigation matters that I have for the other partner that I've put on the backburner because this partner makes every transaction a fire drill and has me waste time printing stuff and going over it multiple times because he didn't review it fully the first 1-3 times. How would you approach this? I've tried being like "uhhh I have enough work" and he's like "fine I'll just do it I guess" or "so you're only working on this one case" when I am actually handling 4+ cases on my own including a motion for summary judgment where a client's company is on the line. I wonder if I need to sit down with the other partner (the one I like who does all litigation) and be like "look, I keep getting this urgent stuff for the other guy and it's eating into things I've already committed to for you, what would you like me to prioritize?"
But the other issue, and this has become a total rant, is that I do not know if I can stick it out at a place with a partner like this when the firm is 4 ppl. When I was hired they said there was an expectation I would become a partner and hire my own associates and I do not want to this guy to be a partner in any firm I stay with long term. Short-term, I feel like maybe it will also drive me crazy. It's all white dudes (I am a woman), there is no maternity policy, and I am not even included on the firm website right now nor was I allowed to send out Christmas cards. I get the sense that I am just the office bitch at this point, which would be fine if I knew I could move up here and stay long term, but I wonder if I should start looking elsewhere. That being said, I do love the actual non-transactional work and other people, but when it's small and someone is an idiot, you just can't get away from the idiocy.
What would people in my position do?
Again, sorry for the rant. Was trying to give as much info as possible.

so ambivalent wrote:Uhhh deal with it bro. That's life. These people are everywhere. Everyone has to deal with these types of people everyday. It's nice you were able to rant tho and get this shit off your chest, as you prob feel better already, but you really just need to suck it up and figure out how to deal with him

I realize that and I'm no stranger to the joys of bosses since this ain't my first corporate rodeo, but how would people suggest dealing with this given small firm size etc? At a big firm I would just try to steer clear of this partner or switch practice groups or get mentored by another partner, but that's not really an option here. Do I just need to find another job?

so ambivalent wrote:So I started recently as a small (less than 4 attorney) firm in a medium market (not a major US city but a decent sized city with the biggest legal market in the state). It's mostly civil litigation which I love. I get interact with clients everyday and have alot of variety. I am happy with the pay and I love the partner who handles most of those.
However, the other partner is a lazy idiot, and, since there are only 2 partners, I have to work with him. He's especially shitty at transactional matters (he handles some purchase agreements for small companies that are usually only worth a few million at most). Like he wants every fucking schedule (we're talking inventory, AR, AP etc) printed because he apparently can't look at excel on a computer screen and then he doesn't even look at the printed stuff. And he waits till the last minute and then, the day we have to close, leaves for a (non-work related) 2 hour lunch at the Indian buffet. This would be fine with me if I could avoid him by working with other partners or even if I needed billables and had to work with him. But I am hitting my billable targets and these rushed and sloppy transactional things cut into litigation matters that I have for the other partner that I've put on the backburner because this partner makes every transaction a fire drill and has me waste time printing stuff and going over it multiple times because he didn't review it fully the first 1-3 times. How would you approach this? I've tried being like "uhhh I have enough work" and he's like "fine I'll just do it I guess" or "so you're only working on this one case" when I am actually handling 4+ cases on my own including a motion for summary judgment where a client's company is on the line. I wonder if I need to sit down with the other partner (the one I like who does all litigation) and be like "look, I keep getting this urgent stuff for the other guy and it's eating into things I've already committed to for you, what would you like me to prioritize?"
But the other issue, and this has become a total rant, is that I do not know if I can stick it out at a place with a partner like this when the firm is 4 ppl. When I was hired they said there was an expectation I would become a partner and hire my own associates and I do not want to this guy to be a partner in any firm I stay with long term. Short-term, I feel like maybe it will also drive me crazy. It's all white dudes (I am a woman), there is no maternity policy, and I am not even included on the firm website right now nor was I allowed to send out Christmas cards. I get the sense that I am just the office bitch at this point, which would be fine if I knew I could move up here and stay long term, but I wonder if I should start looking elsewhere. That being said, I do love the actual non-transactional work and other people, but when it's small and someone is an idiot, you just can't get away from the idiocy.
What would people in my position do?
Again, sorry for the rant. Was trying to give as much info as possible.

so ambivalent wrote: nor was I allowed to send out Christmas cards.

fats provolone wrote:poison the Indian buffet

SBL wrote:OP, I am going to be completely honest with you, because someone has to: You're being a child about this and you need to grow the fuck up and handle your goddamn business.

Reading through your posts, the complaints I'm seeing are all trivial, penny-ante bullshit. You have to print things out for a partner because he doesn't like reading spreadsheets on a screen? Boo fucking hoo. Print that shit out and bring it to his office. Welcome to working with Boomers. It involves paper.

He's disorganized and waits until the last minute on things? Be organized for him and stay on top of his deadlines where he doesn't. That's literally what they pay you for.

They won't let you send out Christmas cards? Why in the name of ever-loving fuck do you care?

He takes long lunches? OH THE HORROR.

They're white men? Sorry, Sugartits, but that ain't changing.

The legal profession is full of insane toxic people and some of the horror stories I've read on TLS over the years are legitimately insane. Your firm doesn't even begin to compare. This is just normal adult work and you sound completely unprepared for it.

Your unpreparedness is further evidenced by your awful way of handling the situation, which is apparently to passive-aggressively say "Oh man, I guess I could try to do this project if you reeeeeeeeally need me to." Either do the fucking project or say you won't, but quit being a child about the whole thing. If you genuinely believe that you cannot work with this individual, then you need to be forthright and direct (which I think is going to be a challenge for you) and just say as much to the partner with whom you primarily work. But if you choose to do this, be fully prepared for them to fire you for it, because that's absolutely likely.

OP, I am going to be completely honest with you, because someone has to: You're being a child about this and you need to grow the fuck up and handle your goddamn business.

Reading through your posts, the complaints I'm seeing are all trivial, penny-ante bullshit. You have to print things out for a partner because he doesn't like reading spreadsheets on a screen? Boo fucking hoo. Print that shit out and bring it to his office. Welcome to working with Boomers. It involves paper.

He's disorganized and waits until the last minute on things? Be organized for him and stay on top of his deadlines where he doesn't. That's literally what they pay you for.

They won't let you send out Christmas cards? Why in the name of ever-loving fuck do you care?

He takes long lunches? OH THE HORROR.

They're white men? Sorry, Sugartits, but that ain't changing.

The legal profession is full of insane toxic people and some of the horror stories I've read on TLS over the years are legitimately insane. Your firm doesn't even begin to compare. This is just normal adult work and you sound completely unprepared for it.

Your unpreparedness is further evidenced by your awful way of handling the situation, which is apparently to passive-aggressively say "Oh man, I guess I could try to do this project if you reeeeeeeeally need me to." Either do the fucking project or say you won't, but quit being a child about the whole thing. If you genuinely believe that you cannot work with this individual, then you need to be forthright and direct (which I think is going to be a challenge for you) and just say as much to the partner with whom you primarily work. But if you choose to do this, be fully prepared for them to fire you for it, because that's absolutely likely.

so ambivalent wrote:

OP, I am going to be completely honest with you, because someone has to: You're being a child about this and you need to grow the fuck up and handle your goddamn business.

Reading through your posts, the complaints I'm seeing are all trivial, penny-ante bullshit. You have to print things out for a partner because he doesn't like reading spreadsheets on a screen? Boo fucking hoo. Print that shit out and bring it to his office. Welcome to working with Boomers. It involves paper.

He's disorganized and waits until the last minute on things? Be organized for him and stay on top of his deadlines where he doesn't. That's literally what they pay you for.

They won't let you send out Christmas cards? Why in the name of ever-loving fuck do you care?

He takes long lunches? OH THE HORROR.

They're white men? Sorry, Sugartits, but that ain't changing.

The legal profession is full of insane toxic people and some of the horror stories I've read on TLS over the years are legitimately insane. Your firm doesn't even begin to compare. This is just normal adult work and you sound completely unprepared for it.

Your unpreparedness is further evidenced by your awful way of handling the situation, which is apparently to passive-aggressively say "Oh man, I guess I could try to do this project if you reeeeeeeeally need me to." Either do the fucking project or say you won't, but quit being a child about the whole thing. If you genuinely believe that you cannot work with this individual, then you need to be forthright and direct (which I think is going to be a challenge for you) and just say as much to the partner with whom you primarily work. But if you choose to do this, be fully prepared for them to fire you for it, because that's absolutely likely.

Dude, that was a super dick response. Sugar tits? Let me guess, you are a white male? It's the 21st century, stop being a chauvinist pig.
But I will address your points because I do want honest responses from people who 1) are not in a big law environment 2) do not use the word "sugartits"
1) If you read through my post you would see that I am not unprepared. I have yet to lose in court or on a motion. I had these Schedules done a month ago. I got into work at 7 am yesterday, worked on the schedules until I had to drive out to a court hearing (for my own client who loves me and offers to send us checks in addition to our retainer for work I haven't yet done btw) where I got everything my client asked for in less than an hour, drove back in and finished the fucking schedules as my boss was out to lunch. Everything was printed out and on his desk before he got back. When I left for the day I had billed almost 9 hours. So, no I am not "unprepared" or "childish." I billed 1800 a year when I worked in a major US market for big law and big bank clients before I went to law school; this ain't my first rodeo.
2) I am expected to buy into this firm and become a partner; when they fuck up for a client it's my reputation and my ass on the line. When they do shit the costs the firm money that comes out of my bonus. It's not a big law thing where I take home my 160k and peace out. When they can't use Excel and I have to bill 5 hours printing shit out that we wouldn't need to bill at all that directly eats into our fees (this project was a flat fees).
3) As for my "awful way of handling the situation" I said "let me know what you need and I will do it before Friday." He didn't respond to my email.

I really don't want people in BigLaw to give me there take on this because I specifically stayed in this market and with a firm like this to avoid BigLaw. I wanted smaller clients who are regular people, a diverse practice, and to buy into a small firm and help it grow. But I am wondering if the way they are behaving means they don't want this for me (as they promised when I joined) and/or if it's just not possible because of this one person.

so ambivalent wrote: Dude, that was a super dick response. Sugar tits? Let me guess, you are a white male? It's the 21st century, stop being a chauvinist pig.
But I will address your points because I do want honest responses from people who 1) are not in a big law environment 2) do not use the word "sugartits"
1) If you read through my post you would see that I am not unprepared. I have yet to lose in court or on a motion. I had these Schedules done a month ago. I got into work at 7 am yesterday, worked on the schedules until I had to drive out to a court hearing (for my own client who loves me and offers to send us checks in addition to our retainer for work I haven't yet done btw) where I got everything my client asked for in less than an hour, drove back in and finished the fucking schedules as my boss was out to lunch. Everything was printed out and on his desk before he got back. When I left for the day I had billed almost 9 hours. So, no I am not "unprepared" or "childish." I billed 1800 a year when I worked in a major US market for big law and big bank clients before I went to law school; this ain't my first rodeo.
2) I am expected to buy into this firm and become a partner; when they fuck up for a client it's my reputation and my ass on the line. When they do shit the costs the firm money that comes out of my bonus. It's not a big law thing where I take home my 160k and peace out. When they can't use Excel and I have to bill 5 hours printing shit out that we wouldn't need to bill at all that directly eats into our fees (this project was a flat fees).
3) As for my "awful way of handling the situation" I said "let me know what you need and I will do it before Friday." He didn't respond to my email.

I really don't want people in BigLaw to give me there take on this because I specifically stayed in this market and with a firm like this to avoid BigLaw. I wanted smaller clients who are regular people, a diverse practice, and to buy into a small firm and help it grow. But I am wondering if the way they are behaving means they don't want this for me (as they promised when I joined) and/or if it's just not possible because of this one person.