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Hello friends - I recently got engaged and am trying to figure out wedding/honeymoon plans. I’m currently thinking about getting married fall 2019 and going on honeymoon at the same time. Ideally, I’d like to take 3 weeks off but I’m a little concerned about how my job is going to take it. While we technically have unlimited vacation days, my firm has a very rigid minimum billable requirement. Any advice/personal experiences would be much appreciated! For reference, I’m a 5th year associate at a V100 in a major market. Thanks!

Not a lawyer, but with sufficient notice and invitations to the right people, my 0L mind thinks they'd cut you some slack. Maybe prepare to burn the midnight oil in anticipation/after taking time off?

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I've actually heard that honeymoons/weddings are about the only vacation people really, really respect in most big firms and generally people will not bother you. I would however make sure to put in a ton of hours from January-September though so you have enough billables banked up to still hit your bonus for the year (and account for any necessary slow ramp-up period when you get back from the honeymoon).

orion wrote:Not a lawyer, but with sufficient notice and invitations to the right people, my 0L mind thinks they'd cut you some slack. Maybe prepare to burn the midnight oil in anticipation/after taking time off?

0Ls aren't supposed to answer legal employment questions unless they have some kind of specific experience with the question.

But really, OP, if you're a 5th year at your firm, have you seen other people go on their honeymoon or do you have a mentor-type person there who can answer this question? I feel like a lot of it is going to depend on who you work with and their attitude as much as anything else.

You’re a fifth year, surely you know the people you work for better than us. But if you can’t take a long honeymoon with a year’s notice, I’d be thinking about leaving to go somewhere else...

acg wrote:Hello friends - I recently got engaged and am trying to figure out wedding/honeymoon plans. I’m currently thinking about getting married fall 2019 and going on honeymoon at the same time. Ideally, I’d like to take 3 weeks off but I’m a little concerned about how my job is going to take it. While we technically have unlimited vacation days, my firm has a very rigid minimum billable requirement. Any advice/personal experiences would be much appreciated! For reference, I’m a 5th year associate at a V100 in a major market. Thanks!

Are you on track to be a partner at the firm? Do you want to be a partner at the firm? If the answer is yes to both, I’d be a little cautious unless you’re absolutely sure that taking three weeks won’t be an issue. Maybe better to limit it to two weeks if you have any doubt. If the answer to either is no, then take four weeks. You’ll be out of there soon anyway.

enibs wrote:

acg wrote:Hello friends - I recently got engaged and am trying to figure out wedding/honeymoon plans. I’m currently thinking about getting married fall 2019 and going on honeymoon at the same time. Ideally, I’d like to take 3 weeks off but I’m a little concerned about how my job is going to take it. While we technically have unlimited vacation days, my firm has a very rigid minimum billable requirement. Any advice/personal experiences would be much appreciated! For reference, I’m a 5th year associate at a V100 in a major market. Thanks!

Are you on track to be a partner at the firm? Do you want to be a partner at the firm? If the answer is yes to both, I’d be a little cautious unless you’re absolutely sure that taking three weeks won’t be an issue. Maybe better to limit it to two weeks if you have any doubt. If the answer to either is no, then take four weeks. You’ll be out of there soon anyway.

This is silly. Take 3 weeks and enjoy the hell out of it... you only get married once (hopefully).

acg wrote:Hello friends - I recently got engaged and am trying to figure out wedding/honeymoon plans. I’m currently thinking about getting married fall 2019 and going on honeymoon at the same time. Ideally, I’d like to take 3 weeks off but I’m a little concerned about how my job is going to take it. While we technically have unlimited vacation days, my firm has a very rigid minimum billable requirement. Any advice/personal experiences would be much appreciated! For reference, I’m a 5th year associate at a V100 in a major market. Thanks!

My firm also has a pretty rigid billables requirement but that doesn’t in any way mean that taking 3 weeks off for a wedding/honeymoon would be met with resistance. I do think 3 weeks of hours could be hard to make up as sometimes the work just isn’t there to play major catch up. If you don’t have those concerns or don’t care about making bonus then provide ample notice and don’t worry about it. If you NEED the bonus and/or have had slower years where making up 120+ hours would be difficult then I’d say maybe you should think about making it 2 weeks, which is plenty for most people.

acg wrote:Hello friends - I recently got engaged and am trying to figure out wedding/honeymoon plans. I’m currently thinking about getting married fall 2019 and going on honeymoon at the same time. Ideally, I’d like to take 3 weeks off but I’m a little concerned about how my job is going to take it. While we technically have unlimited vacation days, my firm has a very rigid minimum billable requirement. Any advice/personal experiences would be much appreciated! For reference, I’m a 5th year associate at a V100 in a major market. Thanks!

My firm didn't have a minimum billable requirement for bonuses (also V100; major market), but I took 5 weeks off for my wedding/honeymoon (was also a 5th yr). I was told when I started that the only vacations people will respect and not care if you're short on hours for is 1. wedding honeymoon and 2. when you have your first born.

Anonymous User wrote:

acg wrote:Hello friends - I recently got engaged and am trying to figure out wedding/honeymoon plans. I’m currently thinking about getting married fall 2019 and going on honeymoon at the same time. Ideally, I’d like to take 3 weeks off but I’m a little concerned about how my job is going to take it. While we technically have unlimited vacation days, my firm has a very rigid minimum billable requirement. Any advice/personal experiences would be much appreciated! For reference, I’m a 5th year associate at a V100 in a major market. Thanks!

My firm didn't have a minimum billable requirement for bonuses (also V100; major market), but I took 5 weeks off for my wedding/honeymoon (was also a 5th yr). I was told when I started that the only vacations people will respect and not care if you're short on hours for is 1. wedding honeymoon and 2. when you have your first born.

I've heard the exact same thing from people at my firm re: #1.

Re #2: I'm pretty sure that you could take leave for though instead of vacation, and then your billable hours requirement for the year is pro-rated, at least that's how it's done at our firm if you take paternity/maternity leave.

3 weeks off seems completely reasonable. My experience lines up with others - people really do tend to respect time off for one's own wedding.