On Vacations Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm an income partner at a V50. Please take your vacation. I took multiple 2 to 3 week vacations in my career, and at least two one week vacations each year. Get your co-workers to cover for you and you cover for them.

The only thing that isn't cool is to get your co-workers to cover you during Thanksgiving or Christmas. Those are holidays for everyone and not fair for you to take advantage.

It's definitely true that vacations are important for mental health and overall satisfaction, and I have to say one of the biggest changes I noticed after I moved firms was how different the attitude was to taking leave, and how much it helps the biglaw experience. In the first office I could barely take vacation, and when I did it was a horror show of demanding e-mails and work. No amount of cover or pre-warning could get you accommodated. New firm is anything but, and I've gotten multiple "apology" emails from partners who forget you're supposed to be off and take care of things on their own. That's all to say your experience really may vary a lot and some place are frankly disrespectful on the subject of vacation.

[Anonymous User]

Current SA here--are there any times that are easier for juniors to take vacation during for groups that do not have inherent busy periods (so not tax, for example)? Is it easier to take vacations during the SA program because some low-level work can be shifted from a junior to an SA?

[Anonymous User]

I just heard through the grape vine that some partners in my group might challenge my upcoming and long-noticed vacation because the group is busy and a few people are going on leave. I’m nearly at the breaking point and they can deal with a 200+ per month associate quitting on the spot if that’s how they want to play.

[Anonymous User]

seems counterintuitive because if there's a payout, it's more acceptable to not take vacation because you at least get extra comp for not taking vacation. i would think without a payout, you are more incentivized to take a vacation because if you don't, you don't get extra comp

You are looking at it from the perspective of the associate looking to take vacation, not the firm who has to pay it.

Yup. Firms that run a risk of having to pay out multiple weeks to associates who leave mid-year/in the last quarter are much better about telling you that you have to take leave. (A firm at which I worked had a staffing coordinator who'd check in each quarter and tell you how much you had accumulated.)

If sanity and a long-term firm career are important to you, a fixed vacation entitlement might be worth more than a bonus that escalates upwards with hours. I know it is to me. The time I spent at a no fixed vacation firm almost led to a breakdown - but as with most things initiated by firms not based in NY, it seems to be a race to the bottom.

[Anonymous User]

Current SA here--are there any times that are easier for juniors to take vacation during for groups that do not have inherent busy periods (so not tax, for example)? Is it easier to take vacations during the SA program because some low-level work can be shifted from a junior to an SA?

I wouldn't take a vacation during SA. This is your one time to impress, kiss ass, get to know people who you'll work with and your fellow summers. If it was long planned like a wedding or something unavoidable, that's fine but just taking one for the hell of it I wouldn't do. Others may feel differently though.

[Anonymous User]

I just heard through the grape vine that some partners in my group might challenge my upcoming and long-noticed vacation because the group is busy and a few people are going on leave. I’m nearly at the breaking point and they can deal with a 200+ per month associate quitting on the spot if that’s how they want to play.

Wow. Those partners need to read the room..

[Anonymous User]

I wouldn't take a vacation during SA. This is your one time to impress, kiss ass, get to know people who you'll work with and your fellow summers. If it was long planned like a wedding or something unavoidable, that's fine but just taking one for the hell of it I wouldn't do. Others may feel differently though.

I agree--I meant for future reference when I am a junior. I definitely would not take a vacay during my SA lol.

[OfThriceandTen]

I wouldn't take a vacation during SA. This is your one time to impress, kiss ass, get to know people who you'll work with and your fellow summers. If it was long planned like a wedding or something unavoidable, that's fine but just taking one for the hell of it I wouldn't do. Others may feel differently though.

I agree--I meant for future reference when I am a junior. I definitely would not take a vacay during my SA lol.

Don’t take it when you know your group is going to be busy. If there is a case going to trial, obviously don’t take it in the run-up to that. Deal closings are harder to navigate around as those can shift but for a typical transactional practice it’s good to avoid the last week of a quarter or December altogether. Try to coordinate with the other similar-year people in your group so you can cover each other. Otherwise the time of year doesn’t matter too much. Most people take vacations in the summer because that’s when the kids are off school and a lot of destinations have better weather. But no one is (or should be) having a summer cover for them on a matter while they’re out.

[NoLongerALurker]

I religiously took a full week every quarter until I became too senior to get away with doing so. As a junior, definitely aim to max your 4 weeks until you're told not to. And the industry is so passive aggressive that tbh you might never be told not to. You won't make partner doing that, but then again -- regardless, you'll never make partner.

[Anonymous User]

I religiously took a full week every quarter until I became too senior to get away with doing so. As a junior, definitely aim to max your 4 weeks until you're told not to. And the industry is so passive aggressive that tbh you might never be told not to. You won't make partner doing that, but then again -- regardless, you'll never make partner.

But did you also hit your hours? I want to take vacation but worry about not hitting hours if I took one each quarter.

[Anonymous User]

I religiously took a full week every quarter until I became too senior to get away with doing so. As a junior, definitely aim to max your 4 weeks until you're told not to. And the industry is so passive aggressive that tbh you might never be told not to. You won't make partner doing that, but then again -- regardless, you'll never make partner.

But did you also hit your hours? I want to take vacation but worry about not hitting hours if I took one each quarter.

To be on track for hours you need 500 hours per 13 weeks or about 38.5 a week. If you take off one week a quarter (and bill your 500 over 12 weeks instead) now you need about 41.5 a week. I basically try to do 8 hours a day when there are no pressing deadlines on me knowing that busy periods and weekends/late nights will more than catch me up.

[Bosque]

I religiously took a full week every quarter until I became too senior to get away with doing so. As a junior, definitely aim to max your 4 weeks until you're told not to. And the industry is so passive aggressive that tbh you might never be told not to. You won't make partner doing that, but then again -- regardless, you'll never make partner.

But did you also hit your hours? I want to take vacation but worry about not hitting hours if I took one each quarter.

To be on track for hours you need 500 hours per 13 weeks or about 38.5 a week. If you take off one week a quarter (and bill your 500 over 12 weeks instead) now you need about 41.5 a week. I basically try to do 8 hours a day when there are no pressing deadlines on me knowing that busy periods and weekends/late nights will more than catch me up.

Put another way, if you target at least 42 billable hours each week, you will have enough to take four weeks of vacation.

That of course assumes you have the control to do that. Sometimes the job is the job.

[NoLongerALurker]

I religiously took a full week every quarter until I became too senior to get away with doing so. As a junior, definitely aim to max your 4 weeks until you're told not to. And the industry is so passive aggressive that tbh you might never be told not to. You won't make partner doing that, but then again -- regardless, you'll never make partner.

But did you also hit your hours? I want to take vacation but worry about not hitting hours if I took one each quarter.

I actually didn't, but I also don't think (especially after tax) the bonus for first or second years is really worth foregoing a month's worth of vacation. I loved being a first year poking around a data room without any real responsibilities for like 30 hours a week and then take a week off every three months to just chill and do shit. The professional fallout from missing first year bonus and being slow was nill (I think some partners indicated they thought having a slow first year would lead to delayed skill building, but in my experience first year "skill building" isn't really a thing and real lawyer life didn't begin until I was a third year)

[babylawyer101]

I worked at v10 and took all 20 days my first year (in two separate 10 days blocks). I just scheduled the vacations super far in advance and let all my teams know (and reminded them essentially weekly) starting about a month out that I would be OOO. And if someone tried to staff me, I let them know I would be OOO. Even if you are gunning for partner (which I definitely am not), essentially no one will notice if you take 5, 10 or 20 vacations days your first few years. My firm also gave associates numerical ratings, and I received the highest rating, so it didn't effect the partners view of me. Worth noting that it was much harder for me to take time during popular vacation times (holidays, August, etc.).