Firm Holiday Gifts Forum

[Anonymous User]

Do associates in biglaw typically get partners gifts?

[Dcc617]

No. But be good to your practice assistant ($100 per year you've been there).

[Anonymous User]

Do associates in biglaw typically get partners gifts?

yes, dealing with the inevitable christmas day and NYE bullshit

[TigerIsBack]

Do associates in biglaw typically get partners gifts?

Yes, all good associates get their partners really expensive gifts. They're called billable hours.

Also checking in here because I can't wait for the annual debate over (a) how much to give your secretary, since $100 per class year gets incredibly absurd once you're a midlevel and beyond, and (b) in what form do you give said gift (cash, amex gift card, actual gift, fruit basket, jelly of the month club, etc.).

[Dcc617]

Is it really absurd to give them like .001% of your salary as their annual gift, when you make so much and they don’t? If you’re a cheap asshole, I guess.

[replevin123]

Assume fourth year 300k. $400 bonus is 0.13% which is 100x what you threw out there. Still seems reasonable if you actually work with them.

[Dcc617]

Man, people who earn a lot of money sure do get riled up over the pittance they're expected to throw towards their inferiors.

[Anonymous User]

I'm a second year, but I clerked, in M&A group so have been here for a year, most of that WFH.

I've literally never emailed our team of 4 assistants. I'm not really upset about sending out $800, but I have no idea how to do it especially now that we are work from home. How are other people actually doing the sending?

[justanotherlurker]

I'm a second year, but I clerked, in M&A group so have been here for a year, most of that WFH.

I've literally never emailed our team of 4 assistants. I'm not really upset about sending out $800, but I have no idea how to do it especially now that we are work from home. How are other people actually doing the sending?

I think the $100/class year rule tends to apply to when you're assigned a single secretary. I think, if you work with a pool of 4, I'd divide your gift in fourths, and maybe round up a little.

Logistically, e-gift card that you can email may be the best bet.

[lolwutpar]

The real debate isn't how much to give (because $600 for a 6th year isn't a lot. At all.), it's whether that still applies when more firms are moving to a pool system and secretaries can be spread out across offices.

[Dcc617]

Technically I have two practice assistants in my pod, but I only ever interact with my primary one and have never spoken to the other one (I assume vice versa for her primary attorneys).

Obviously planning to gift to my practice assistant, but will not to the practice assistant I never work with (I also did not rate her, as I literally never talk to her).

[lolwutpar]

Technically I have two practice assistants in my pod, but I only ever interact with my primary one and have never spoken to the other one (I assume vice versa for her primary attorneys).

Obviously planning to gift to my practice assistant, but will not to the practice assistant I never work with (I also did not rate her, as I literally never talk to her).

Yeah, I don't really know what to do this year. My previous firm switched to a pool, but only in our office/group, so I still used the assistant assigned to me even though I technically wasn't supposed to.

New firm is a "pool" but, again, used one person. But she left right before 'rona and the pool expanded to the entire west coast...so no clue who to give a gift to, if anybody. I don't really use 'em much and have no relationship. I've asked around and people are just giving gifts to "their" assistant rather than a pool gift for our office, so I REALLY don't know who to give one to.

[Anonymous User]

I'm in my stub year and have never communicated with my designated secretary. Not trying to stiff her or anything but really not sure how/what to give.

[attorney589753]

Yeah, I don't really know what to do this year. My previous firm switched to a pool, but only in our office/group, so I still used the assistant assigned to me even though I technically wasn't supposed to.

New firm is a "pool" but, again, used one person. But she left right before 'rona and the pool expanded to the entire west coast...so no clue who to give a gift to, if anybody. I don't really use 'em much and have no relationship. I've asked around and people are just giving gifts to "their" assistant rather than a pool gift for our office, so I REALLY don't know who to give one to.

IMO, if you really never work with any of them, you don't need to give any of them a gift. Get something nice for some junior associates / paralegals or donate it to charity. Maybe next year you develop a closer/personal relationship and you reevaluate.

[JusticeSquee]

I'm in my stub year and have never communicated with my designated secretary. Not trying to stiff her or anything but really not sure how/what to give.

If this is literally true, then don't give her anything, despite what people here will say. If you have a working relationship with your assistant, you should give her a generous holiday gift. No need to give gifts to someone you do not know or ever work with.

That being said, use your assistant. She is there to make your life easier.

[Dcc617]

I'm in my stub year and have never communicated with my designated secretary. Not trying to stiff her or anything but really not sure how/what to give.

If you're a stub year then you mean haven't used her YET. You have no idea what sort of relationship you'll need to develop over the next few years, I don't think you should start your relationship by stiffing her.

Also, you should definitely reach out to your secretary.

[cisscum]

I'm in my stub year and have never communicated with my designated secretary. Not trying to stiff her or anything but really not sure how/what to give.

If you're a stub year then you mean haven't used her YET. You have no idea what sort of relationship you'll need to develop over the next few years, I don't think you should start your relationship by stiffing her.

Also, you should definitely reach out to your secretary.

Are you a boomer? Secretaries barely do anything nowadays, FYI.

[Dcc617]

Man, people who earn a lot of money sure do get riled up over the pittance they're expected to throw towards their inferiors.

[cisscum]

Don’t think anyone is riled up except for you spending all day lecturing people about how much they should “gift” their useless secretaries

[polareagle]

I'm in my stub year and have never communicated with my designated secretary. Not trying to stiff her or anything but really not sure how/what to give.

If you're a stub year then you mean haven't used her YET. You have no idea what sort of relationship you'll need to develop over the next few years, I don't think you should start your relationship by stiffing her.

Also, you should definitely reach out to your secretary.

Are you a boomer? Secretaries barely do anything nowadays, FYI.

I'm certainly not and use my secretary a lot. She enters my time, submits my expenses, books me rooms at the firm, proofreads stuff for me, puts together binders for my personal use, handles all my travel arrangements (less applicable now), and is my first call whenever I don't know who to ask something about at the firm. If you're not using your secretary effectively, that's on you.

[Dcc617]

Don’t think anyone is riled up except for you spending all day lecturing people about how much they should “gift” their useless secretaries

I mean, you're objectively a shitty person if you're making (as a junior) well over $200K a year but refuse to give your secretary a hundred bucks for the holidays because you don't think she's "earned it". Like are you Lucille Bluth?

You suck if you're planning to stiff your secretary. You're just a greedy selfish pig.

[cisscum]

Don’t think anyone is riled up except for you spending all day lecturing people about how much they should “gift” their useless secretaries

I mean, you're objectively a shitty person if you're making (as a junior) well over $200K a year but refuse to give your secretary a hundred bucks for the holidays because you don't think she's "earned it". Like are you Lucille Bluth?

You suck if you're planning to stiff your secretary. You're just a greedy selfish pig.

She gets a salary for her work just like I do. I’m not her employer. The partners are welcome to pay her more if that’s what they want to do. But what they’re actually doing (at least at my firm) is laying them off en masse because they don’t actually do anything.

[Dcc617]

Don’t think anyone is riled up except for you spending all day lecturing people about how much they should “gift” their useless secretaries

I mean, you're objectively a shitty person if you're making (as a junior) well over $200K a year but refuse to give your secretary a hundred bucks for the holidays because you don't think she's "earned it". Like are you Lucille Bluth?

You suck if you're planning to stiff your secretary. You're just a greedy selfish pig.

She gets a salary for her work just like I do. I’m not her employer. The partners are welcome to pay her more if that’s what they want to do. But what they’re actually doing (at least at my firm) is laying them off en masse because they don’t actually do anything.

You suck then. I hope you tell other people about your stance on stiffing your secretary so they know that you're terrible.

[cisscum]

Don’t think anyone is riled up except for you spending all day lecturing people about how much they should “gift” their useless secretaries

I mean, you're objectively a shitty person if you're making (as a junior) well over $200K a year but refuse to give your secretary a hundred bucks for the holidays because you don't think she's "earned it". Like are you Lucille Bluth?

You suck if you're planning to stiff your secretary. You're just a greedy selfish pig.

She gets a salary for her work just like I do. I’m not her employer. The partners are welcome to pay her more if that’s what they want to do. But what they’re actually doing (at least at my firm) is laying them off en masse because they don’t actually do anything.

You suck then. I hope you tell other people about your stance on stiffing your secretary so they know that you're terrible.

Nah, it’s not really anyone’s business. Only self righteous turds like you who like to go around lecturing people about what to do with their own money really care.

[Dcc617]

I bet you also stiff servers and complain to restaurant managers to get free food.

I don't know what sort of ghoul gets off on defying customs/expectations to stiff their staff out of literally a pittance before the holidays. But you do you.

Also, you don't want to tell people/your secretary that you're a cheapskate because you don't want the reputational damage, so you're a cowardly ghoul.