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This might be a really silly question, but I work at the small office of a big firm and my office is in between the partners' offices. I leave for the day around 7:30-8 and partners almost always leave later than I do (I come in earlier than them and not crazy busy at this point of the year).
When I saw partners while I am heading out in the hallway or something, then I say bye to them of course. However, I don't drop by their office to say goodbye because I think that is distracting to them. Any insight on whether I should go visit partners office and say goodbye to them when I am heading home? Is that a required office etiquette? I am only associate in this office so I do not know how other associates behave. Thanks!

Honestly this is kind of a weird question, but I'll attempt an answer. The answer is: it depends.

What's the general vibe of the workplace? What would be the point of you making a purposeful stop by their offices to say goodbye? Are they the kind of people who care about this?

I think if you're passing by someone's office and you make eye contact, then be a human and just say good night, but I wouldn't make rounds every evening just to say goodbye to people--it's weird and sycophant behavior. Of course, if your partners want that kind of weirdly hierarchical and daily reminder that they are still there when you get to go home, then up to you whether you indulge.

No longer in biglaw, but seconding the advice about getting the vibe.

Worked at a ~v20 where it was typical not to look colleagues in the eyes or acknowledge them in elevators. Randomly saying hi to people in their office? Definitely extraordinary and not something anyone did besides with colleagues who became friend-ish colleagues. Of course, this was one firm. Others may be at firms where people don't act like they've lost their souls/humanity, besides when facing clients.

My firm is friendly, but it would be super odd to stop by an office just to say bye unless you were jointly working on something and needed to let them know you'd be back online after transitioning home or something.

I work in an office that is similar to yours. I only say bye to my assistant (letting her know I’m gone, so if someone calls, she can pick it up if she wants).

Other than that, I only say bye to the attorneys I work with when I’m leaving for a long weekend. It’s more to remind them that I am not going to be there on Friday/Monday.

We are a close knit group, but I wouldn’t otherwise say bye.

They don't want to see me and I don't want to see them.

This is a bizarre question. If you see someone on your way out then be friendly and say bye, but don’t seek anyone out to let them know you're leaving while they’re still stuck at the office. Just be normal.

patent_guy wrote:Just be normal.

Pretty sure we could answer 50% of TLS threads with "just be normal."

When I worked at a firm, I'd only seek partners out if I had something to talk about (project update, the Indians game that night, etc.). Otherwise I just noped out of there.

Pretty much just be normal in general.

In practice during ibanking internships/law summers, I ended up almost always saying bye if the MD/partner is still in the office. "I just finished xxx/I just go to xxx point with xxx. Do you want me to take care of something else today? No? Good night/weekend."

jkpolk wrote:They don't want to see me and I don't want to see them.

This is perfect.

No. He/she isn’t your friend.

why would I want to call attention to the fact that I am leaving earlier than the partner? My life is painful enough as it is.

It is VERY tls that this was asked and that the question catalyzed a conversation that’s now taking place on this forum haha

It seems very weird to me to not say bye on my way out. I'm in a small office of a midlaw firm, with only 1 partner and 1 of counsel and myself. I'm coming straight from a clerkship where it was just me and my other clerk and we talked constantly.

I honestly cannot fathom not saying goodbye when I leave for the night. I've only been there a week, and so far the partner has left before me and has said goodbye.

tsmcdona wrote:It seems very weird to me to not say bye on my way out. I'm in a small office of a midlaw firm, with only 1 partner and 1 of counsel and myself. I'm coming straight from a clerkship where it was just me and my other clerk and we talked constantly.

I honestly cannot fathom not saying goodbye when I leave for the night. I've only been there a week, and so far the partner has left before me and has said goodbye.

I think this is VERY dependent on the physical set up/size of your office. When there are only 2 other people and presumably they can see you leaving, it makes sense to say goodbye (I said goodbye when clerking if I left before my co-clerk/the JA, in part because I was sitting right across from the one and had to walk past the other to leave). But if you’re in an office where people are more physically separated, and there are more people, actively going to their office to say goodbye is weird, unless there’s a reason you need to let them know where you are (e.g. “I’m going home now but will get online tonight and send you the finished draft of X” or whatever).

I say goodbye to the legal assistant I walk past on my way out, who sits out in a cubicle rather than in an office, and anyone who might be in the hall. I don’t stop by anyone’s office to say goodbye unless I have something specific to tell them. And I’m not in a big office (but bigger than 3 people).

It’s about context. No, don’t interrupt someone to tell them you’re leaving. If they’d see that you’re leaving for themselves anyway, say goodbye.

Thanks everyone for taking time to answer this! I know that this is a weird question tbh to begin with. I just felt bad that I am leaving earlier than partner everyday (although I'm not meeting deadline for an assignment or anything). The thing is, when I leave, I don't see partner when I walk past on my way out unless I turn around my head, but the partner sitting in his office with a door open could see me leaving... (his office is right next to mine)

I have not been making a stop to say goodbye so far, the partner doesn't seem to really care (I think), or asked me to stop by before I leave or anything. In terms of vibe, we are very friendly and say good morning to each other when we come in. Legal assistants/secretaries always leave before me and partners and they don't stop by our office to say goodbye. If this is a big office, I wouldn't really care, but since there are only 6 ppl (2 partners, 1 associate, 2 assistants), I was wondering about this.

Anyways, thanks everyone!