1st Year with no work Forum

[Anonymous User]

I am a neurotic 1st year who just started. I’m a month in and have only billed 25 hours. Is this fine? I feel like I’m expressing initiative to work, it’s just I rarely get assigned anything and the assignments only take a few hours at most... any advice?

[UnfrozenCaveman]

Normal. Even in normal times.

[Anonymous User]

Don't worry. It can sometimes take 3-4 months to get fully integrated into a practice. And the end of the year is always challenging because things are moving at such a fast pace that it's almost impossible to get a stub caught up to speed. Keep asking for work. Also, see if you can get on a pro bono matter.

[Anonymous User]

Similar question to OP, who isn't billing a lot.

If I'm on an assignment with one other junior and we're doing the exact same mundane task, but he's taking longer than me, should I slow down? I promise I'm not competing with him. My issues with going slow are that the work isn't mentally taxing, I don't want to take long on it just because I can, it seems [is?] unethical to take longer and bill more needlessly, and yet the quicker I do it the less hours I find myself billing.

My issue with going fast is that my colleague who is stretching the assignment will naturally be able to count significantly less work as more hours than me. And although I'm not competing, when it comes to partners looking at hours this can be misleading and make it look like I haven't been working as much. I recognize my colleague may be struggling or dealing with issues at home, and maybe that's why it's taking long, but I doubt it because I know from going to school with him that he's competent and smart enough to get the work done faster if needed.

[attorney589753]

Similar question to OP, who isn't billing a lot.

If I'm on an assignment with one other junior and we're doing the exact same mundane task, but he's taking longer than me, should I slow down? I promise I'm not competing with him. My issues with going slow are that the work isn't mentally taxing, I don't want to take long on it just because I can, it seems [is?] unethical to take longer and bill more needlessly, and yet the quicker I do it the less hours I find myself billing.

My issue with going fast is that my colleague who is stretching the assignment will naturally be able to count significantly less work as more hours than me. And although I'm not competing, when it comes to partners looking at hours this can be misleading and make it look like I haven't been working as much. I recognize my colleague may be struggling or dealing with issues at home, and maybe that's why it's taking long, but I doubt it because I know from going to school with him that he's competent and smart enough to get the work done faster if needed.

No. If you show people above you that you are good, you will find plenty of work. Also you may be better at task A and he/she is better at task B, etc.

[NoLongerALurker]

It’s fine. Back when I started several years ago, I billed a grand total of like 60 hours in my first four months.

[lolwutpar]

Fine. A lot of groups/associates/partners are really bad about utilizing first years. I billed under 1200 between my stub year and first year.

[Anonymous User]

That's totally normal. Seniors have no time to teach rookies. They don't wanna spend 2 hours teaching and revising the work of first years while they can just get it done in 30 minutes.

[Anonymous User]

As someone who also just started biglaw, please take advantage of this slower time!! I billed nothing my first week but my last 3 weeks I've billed 50+ hours each. I am struggling with getting used to the work itself, much less the amount of work. I really wish I'd had more time to adjust before ramping up this much. As long as you're reaching out to people and doing a good job on the work you do have, you're doing everything right.

[Anonymous User]

As someone who also just started biglaw, please take advantage of this slower time!! I billed nothing my first week but my last 3 weeks I've billed 50+ hours each. I am struggling with getting used to the work itself, much less the amount of work. I really wish I'd had more time to adjust before ramping up this much. As long as you're reaching out to people and doing a good job on the work you do have, you're doing everything right.

This. I billed ~250 my first month (with a slow last week so first 3 were on track for ~300) and it traumatized me being so immediately thrown off the deep end.

[Anonymous User]

You will get the hours eventually, unless your group is unusually slow. I went from sporadically busy days/weeks to getting absolutely killed 3-4 months in with a billable month in the high 200s. Please enjoy the slow times (I know it's hard and I didn't either, but please try...).

[thenewguy]

This is so common that you can probably find multiple threads asking the same question during this time of year for each of the past several years.

[Anonymous User]

Relax dude. It's holiday season. I'm billing like 3 hours a day.

[Anonymous User]

I started about 9 weeks ago. I just counted and I've billed just over 30 so far. I don't even ask for work anymore unless I have literally nothing to do for a couple days, as my experience has been partners either don't respond to my emails asking or just tell me that they know I'm slow and not to worry. I have jumped on a number of pro bono matters, however.

[Anonymous User]

I started about 9 weeks ago. I just counted and I've billed just over 30 so far. I don't even ask for work anymore unless I have literally nothing to do for a couple days, as my experience has been partners either don't respond to my emails asking or just tell me that they know I'm slow and not to worry. I have jumped on a number of pro bono matters, however.

be careful with that

if your pro bono matters drag into when you finally get busy...things can get really tight (happened to me..). I would try to stick to shorter/discrete matters if you're taking a few on.

[Anonymous User]

I started about 9 weeks ago. I just counted and I've billed just over 30 so far. I don't even ask for work anymore unless I have literally nothing to do for a couple days, as my experience has been partners either don't respond to my emails asking or just tell me that they know I'm slow and not to worry. I have jumped on a number of pro bono matters, however.

be careful with that

if your pro bono matters drag into when you finally get busy...things can get really tight (happened to me..). I would try to stick to shorter/discrete matters if you're taking a few on.

I have been, don't worry. None are long term.

[nahumya]

Absolutely normal and no one will care about how much you bill for the first 6 months. The focus will be on whether you show initiative and pay attention to instructions/details.

[Anonymous User]

Somewhat related, but what if it continues on? Like, let's say, you're a year on and you're 200 hours under your billable requirement. Should you take action or enjoy the slower times?

[avenuem]

Relax dude. It's holiday season. I'm billing like 3 hours a day.

What year are you? Is it bad if I'm T14 and at a v5 and my only hours are doing doc review?

[nixy]

Relax dude. It's holiday season. I'm billing like 3 hours a day.

What year are you? Is it bad if I'm T14 and at a v5 and my only hours are doing doc review?

What would going to a T14 have to do with it?

[Anonymous User]

Relax dude. It's holiday season. I'm billing like 3 hours a day.

What year are you? Is it bad if I'm T14 and at a v5 and my only hours are doing doc review?

Doc review is a completely normal thing for new associates to start doing. And don't knock doc review, either—it's usually pretty easy work, and the hours will rack up quickly. Just camp out on the couch with some coffee and a good playlist and have a relaxing (though slightly boring) day.

FYI: being a T14 grad isn't going to carry you anymore. It's all about the quality of your work product and also just being in the right place at the right time. There are plenty of T14 grads who haven't gotten any substantive work, and also T30 grads who have helped with deposition prep, closings, etc.

[LawrenceGazebo]

Relax dude. It's holiday season. I'm billing like 3 hours a day.

What year are you? Is it bad if I'm T14 and at a v5 and my only hours are doing doc review?

Lol you should tell the staffing folks you're "T14" and I'm sure they'll put you on all the hottest deals. Get those stupid SOBs out of the way, we got a T14 here!

[avenuem]

Relax dude. It's holiday season. I'm billing like 3 hours a day.

What year are you? Is it bad if I'm T14 and at a v5 and my only hours are doing doc review?

What would going to a T14 have to do with it?

Biglaw firms usually contract doc review work out to less credentialed attorneys. That's a fact, not an indictment on the contract attorney's ability. Usually contract attorneys doing doc review for a living didn't graduate from the most prestigious schools or have good grades. I'm not saying that's how it should be, but I think on a website called "top law schools" we can be honest about that being how it is. So it seems odd that they would hire people from T14s and ask us to do work that they could contract out. I worried it might be a bad sign that they would expect us to do that work instead of something suitable for a first year, but more than this. That's all. I'm not resting on my laurels though, I know my work needs to be good no matter my school.

TY for the other responses.

[Elston Gunn]

Relax dude. It's holiday season. I'm billing like 3 hours a day.

What year are you? Is it bad if I'm T14 and at a v5 and my only hours are doing doc review?

What would going to a T14 have to do with it?

Biglaw firms usually contract doc review work out to less credentialed attorneys. That's a fact, not an indictment on the contract attorney's ability. Usually contract attorneys doing doc review for a living didn't graduate from the most prestigious schools or have good grades. I'm not saying that's how it should be, but I think on a website called "top law schools" we can be honest about that being how it is. So it seems odd that they would hire people from T14s and ask us to do work that they could contract out. I worried it might be a bad sign that they would expect us to do that work instead of something suitable for a first year, but more than this. That's all. I'm not resting on my laurels though, I know my work needs to be good no matter my school.

TY for the other responses.

The fact that you’re an associate at a V5 speaks to your credentials plenty. The non-T14 grads at your firm will have if anything more impressive backgrounds since they couldn’t rely on their school to get that type of job. Not a big deal, but it’s a good time to learn that no one will like it if you come off as at all looking down on your colleagues who went to less “prestigious” schools.

As for your larger point, again it’s fine because you just started, but you don’t seem to have come in with the right expectations for a junior big law associate. Yes, a lot of first round doc review is outsourced to contract attorneys, but (a) that process has to be managed closely by associates, since the doc review attorneys simply care far less about doing a good job than you are paid to and don’t have your understanding of the case, (b) there is still an enormous amount of second level doc review that needs to be done by associates, because it’s really important, and (c) if the volume of docs is small enough or the firm can get away with it on the bills, there are plenty of times when you would just have associates do all of it.

Overall, we have all bitched about how boring doc review is, but it’s also an absolutely critical part of a case or investigation, so it can’t just be fully farmed out.

[nixy]

Biglaw firms usually contract doc review work out to less credentialed attorneys. That's a fact, not an indictment on the contract attorney's ability. Usually contract attorneys doing doc review for a living didn't graduate from the most prestigious schools or have good grades. I'm not saying that's how it should be, but I think on a website called "top law schools" we can be honest about that being how it is. So it seems odd that they would hire people from T14s and ask us to do work that they could contract out. I worried it might be a bad sign that they would expect us to do that work instead of something suitable for a first year, but more than this. That's all. I'm not resting on my laurels though, I know my work needs to be good no matter my school.

TY for the other responses.

As people have pointed out, regular associates often do doc review as well. Beyond that, the difference you were reaching for was between contract attorneys and regular associates, not T14 vs. non-T14. It’s not like within your class of regular associates they’re going to divvy up assignments such as doc review/not doc review based on what school you attended.