If you are gently pushed out of a law firm, how exactly does it happen? Forum

[Anonymous User]

What kind of conversations happen? How soon do they start as an associate? First year? Second year? Reasons given for the push?

[Anonymous User]

What kind of conversations happen? How soon do they start as an associate? First year? Second year? Reasons given for the push?

There are senior associates who are pushed out in the "up and out" firms because they just aren't one of the very select few who will be put up for partnership. This is when you are about an 8th year and there is nothing wrong with you, just somebody is more of a gunner really.

Otherwise, people who are pushed out earlier are typically pushed out because they aren't billing enough hours and are slow and that is the result of a few reasons: (1) aren't consistently delivering quality work for their class year (you obviously have a lot of leeway here as a junior associate), (2) committed major screw up more than once (e.g., missed filing deadline), and (3) can't get along with others.

Hours are pretty much how a firm knows if you are a good associate or not. Good associates are busy because more partners want to use them and staff them on deals. However, if you are mediocre or just an okay or even shit associate and bill hours, that is $$$ to the firm and you will be fine.

[Anonymous User]

I got pushed out as a mid-level associate in BigLaw. Joined a practice area that was hot as a first year and then slowly dried up the last year or so I was there. I had met my hours the last full year I was there, got my December bonus, and then had double digit billable hours/month until I was officially fired in June.

How it went down: hours super low in January; in the "check-in" review a couple of months later, the partner noted my hours were low; the next month, the managing partner in the office invited me to lunch where we talked about my career/how I liked living in the city we were in; and then in June, during my mid-year review, I got told it was time to look for a new job.

[hdr]

Firms handle it differently. If you're a junior or midlevel, typically you'll be told at a scheduled evaluation and that you should find something else. This only happens if your hours are low; if you're meeting your hours expectations or coming close (1800ish) you don't have anything to worry about.

When it's time for promotion to partner, some firms will tell you that you're not going to make it and that you should find something else. If you do OK work and people like you, they'll typically give you all the time you need. Other firms don't push out anyone billing enough hours and will just tell them "not this time, get some more experience in XYZ and maybe next year." It seems that firms are trending away from an "up or out" model and are letting anyone who can bill enough hours stay indefinitely as an associate or counsel.

[Anonymous User]

I got pushed out as a mid-level associate in BigLaw. Joined a practice area that was hot as a first year and then slowly dried up the last year or so I was there. I had met my hours the last full year I was there, got my December bonus, and then had double digit billable hours/month until I was officially fired in June.

How it went down: hours super low in January; in the "check-in" review a couple of months later, the partner noted my hours were low; the next month, the managing partner in the office invited me to lunch where we talked about my career/how I liked living in the city we were in; and then in June, during my mid-year review, I got told it was time to look for a new job.

Would you mind sharing what the practice area was? I'm in the EC/VC practice which is booming as of late but worried about a cool off.

[Anonymous User]

Delete. Double post.

[Anonymous User]

PP here. Sure, I was in litigation.