Office Drama Forum

[Anonymous User]

How many of you folks have office drama that's irks your job satisfaction? I am a prosecutor, and I don't know if other DA offices are like this, but it's like high school. People are immature and talk behind your back, will talk to your supervisor about mistakes you've made without just telling you first. Office politics and cliques, etc.

Something tell me civil law firms are different. The crowd is older and busy with their own lives, and the billable hours forces people to be more efficient with their time. Government attornies shoot the shit all the time because their pay doesn't change regardless of how much they work.

[Anonymous User]

Prosecutor here who lateraled to biglaw...the drama continues.

[Anonymous User]

Prosecutor here. Worked in two offices and it's the same shit. Very cliquey. And I think you're spot on with the government-office thing: a lot of the grudges here are born out anger that some people suck at their job and never face any repercussions.

I think it's generally across the board though. Lawyers just suck.

[Anonymous User]

How many of you folks have office drama that's irks your job satisfaction? I am a prosecutor, and I don't know if other DA offices are like this, but it's like high school. People are immature and talk behind your back, will talk to your supervisor about mistakes you've made without just telling you first. Office politics and cliques, etc.

Something tell me civil law firms are different. The crowd is older and busy with their own lives, and the billable hours forces people to be more efficient with their time. Government attornies shoot the shit all the time because their pay doesn't change regardless of how much they work.

Do we work in the same office?

[Pokemon]

I have actually found my biglaw experience to be relitevly drama free and not going further than some person around the same class as you complaining about senior, client or partner, in all instances creating more rather than less camaraderie

[OutCold]

I have actually found my biglaw experience to be relitevly drama free and not going further than some person around the same class as you complaining about senior, client or partner, in all instances creating more rather than less camaraderie

This has been my experience as well.

[Anonymous User]

How many of you folks have office drama that's irks your job satisfaction? I am a prosecutor, and I don't know if other DA offices are like this, but it's like high school. People are immature and talk behind your back, will talk to your supervisor about mistakes you've made without just telling you first. Office politics and cliques, etc.

Something tell me civil law firms are different. The crowd is older and busy with their own lives, and the billable hours forces people to be more efficient with their time. Government attornies shoot the shit all the time because their pay doesn't change regardless of how much they work.

Do we work in the same office?

Is that you Mike? You were supposed to cover my filings for me when I was in trial punk.

[Anonymous User]

How many of you folks have office drama that's irks your job satisfaction? I am a prosecutor, and I don't know if other DA offices are like this, but it's like high school. People are immature and talk behind your back, will talk to your supervisor about mistakes you've made without just telling you first. Office politics and cliques, etc.

Something tell me civil law firms are different. The crowd is older and busy with their own lives, and the billable hours forces people to be more efficient with their time. Government attornies shoot the shit all the time because their pay doesn't change regardless of how much they work.

Do we work in the same office?

Is that you Mike? You were supposed to cover my filings for me when I was in trial punk.

Oh darn I thought you were Barry. You were supposed to ask for a continuance on my one trial, and now I'm working all weekend to get it ready.

[Phil Brooks]

I have actually found my biglaw experience to be relitevly drama free and not going further than some person around the same class as you complaining about senior, client or partner, in all instances creating more rather than less camaraderie

Prepare for a rant:

What I find annoying about Big Law is the people who are in my class year, who have no claim to authority over me, seem to be unable to take "yes" for an answer. They call me and ask me to do something (again, why they feel they can do this I don't know). I say, "Yes, I'll do it." Instead of hanging up, they find a way to repeat the same request three more times over the course of a two-minute phone call.

Or, if tell them, "Come by whenever today for five minutes and we can discuss this question," they then send me a freaking calendar invite with a five-minute block of time reserved.

Or, they ask repetitive stupid questions during mandatory non-billable class meetings we have with HR. Every minute they prolong the meeting is another minute I need to stay late and bill at the end of the day, so their inability to understand questions that are not phrased in their own words cuts directly into my personal life. Like, I'm sorry that none of you have SOs or dating lives or hobbies but you should empathize with those of us that do and not steal my time.

Rant over. Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

Or, if tell them, "Come by whenever today for five minutes and we can discuss this question," they then send me a freaking calendar invite with a five-minute block of time reserved.

Lol, my goodness.

[Anonymous User]

Prosecutor here. Worked in two offices and it's the same shit. Very cliquey. And I think you're spot on with the government-office thing: a lot of the grudges here are born out anger that some people suck at their job and never face any repercussions.

I think it's generally across the board though. Lawyers just suck.

I think it has to do with lawyers already being type-A personalities, give them then a badge and the ability to lock people up, and they forget that their shit still smells. And then their next goal is to climb up the political/DA office ladder at the expense of throwing their team members under the bus so their supervisor thinks they never make mistakes.

[misterjames]

Prepare for a rant:

What I find annoying about Big Law is the people who are in my class year, who have no claim to authority over me, seem to be unable to take "yes" for an answer. They call me and ask me to do something (again, why they feel they can do this I don't know). I say, "Yes, I'll do it.".

I think I know why they think they can ask you to do things...

[Phil Brooks]

Prepare for a rant:

What I find annoying about Big Law is the people who are in my class year, who have no claim to authority over me, seem to be unable to take "yes" for an answer. They call me and ask me to do something (again, why they feel they can do this I don't know). I say, "Yes, I'll do it.".

I think I know why they think they can ask you to do things...

As in, ask me to do part of their work for a matter I'm not on, that is not in my practice group.

[Pokemon]

Or, if tell them, "Come by whenever today for five minutes and we can discuss this question," they then send me a freaking calendar invite with a five-minute block of time reserved.

Lol, my goodness.

Good job misquoting me anon. Now everyone will think I have phils problem.

[Anonymous User]

I think it has to do with lawyers already being type-A personalities, give them then a badge and the ability to lock people up, and they forget that their shit still smells. And then their next goal is to climb up the political/DA office ladder at the expense of throwing their team members under the bus so their supervisor thinks they never make mistakes.

Thank god I work for the feds because that's not really a thing here, at all. Never seen anything at all like this. (My current office is kind of gossip-y, but that's because it's small and most people have worked here for 15+ years so all know each other WAY too well.)

[andythefir]

There are basically 2 kinds of rural prosecutors. 1 soon to be former rural prosecutors and 2 people who can't get any other jobs. Category 2 tend to be your supervisors, and, surprisingly, are often petty and vindictive. That can unfortunately mess with your career when it comes time for references, performance reviews, etc.

[Anonymous User]

There are basically 2 kinds of rural prosecutors. 1 soon to be former rural prosecutors and 2 people who can't get any other jobs. Category 2 tend to be your supervisors, and, surprisingly, are often petty and vindictive. That can unfortunately mess with your career when it comes time for references, performance reviews, etc.

As a rural prosecutor, this is kind of true...but those who are supervisors still have a lot of respect though within the office/community for the cases they've prosecuted.

[Anonymous User]

I work in a biglaw firm, and even though people are mostly nice, smart, and hardworking, there are at least two "bad apples" in the partnership ranks. One is genuinely good at his job and has been with the firm forever, so he arguably justifiably is an asshole, while the other is a serial "lateraler" and a service partner.

The latter person truly acts like a jerk for the sake of acting like one. He interrupts people, makes extremely blunt comments to people, and puts his political opinions on full display (he's very openly a Trump supporter). Every interaction I have ever had with him has been strange and awkward.

At my previous firm, I worked with a partner who also had personality issues. So, honestly, I would not say firms that work on the civil side are necessarily better in terms of office drama. Lots of partners make obscene amounts of money and with that comes a sense of entitlement to behave however they please.

[andythefir]

There are basically 2 kinds of rural prosecutors. 1 soon to be former rural prosecutors and 2 people who can't get any other jobs. Category 2 tend to be your supervisors, and, surprisingly, are often petty and vindictive. That can unfortunately mess with your career when it comes time for references, performance reviews, etc.

As a rural prosecutor, this is kind of true...but those who are supervisors still have a lot of respect though within the office/community for the cases they've prosecuted.

Some soon to be former prosecutors are not long for the office because they stink. But if you're not awful and stick around you're in the running to become a supervisor, and those folks handle the serious cases. But attorneys in general are awful leaders and managers, and rural prosecutor's offices are dreadful in that way.