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At a tier 1 firm but have billed less than 2 hours this year. All signs say the market is still busy https://abovethelaw.com/2022/01/big-mon ... 22-market/.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 04, 2022 9:31 pm

At a tier 1 firm but have billed less than 2 hours this year. All signs say the market is still busy https://abovethelaw.com/2022/01/big-mon ... 22-market/.

It's like January 4th bro. Did you meet your hours last year? If so, chill. People haven't even turned on their computers yet.

*David Attenborough voice*
Here, ladies and gentlemen, we see a pristine example of bait being taken nigh immediately upon being laid. Hardly seven minutes passed after OP’s humorous post when an unsuspecting commenter pounced, taking what they read on an internet forum as genuine. Well played, OP, and cheers to your future hunts

We are two weekdays into the month….

I LOL'd.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 04, 2022 9:31 pm

At a tier 1 firm but have billed less than 2 hours this year. All signs say the market is still busy https://abovethelaw.com/2022/01/big-mon ... 22-market/.

Yes. Have you considered an exit to investment banking? You should find a few helpful threads here about making this shift.

I am on track for 800 hours this month. I think if you haven't hit 50, you're being Lathamed and it's time to consider a V6 firm. Or even V7.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:12 pm

I am on track for 800 hours this month. I think if you haven't hit 50, you're being Lathamed and it's time to consider a V6 firm. Or even V7.

Given there are only 744 hours over the 31 days in January, I can only surmise that you’re crisscrossing timezones and/or working from a jet. How’s the internet connectivity?

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 05, 2022 7:39 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:12 pm

I am on track for 800 hours this month. I think if you haven't hit 50, you're being Lathamed and it's time to consider a V6 firm. Or even V7.

Given there are only 744 hours over the 31 days in January, I can only surmise that you’re crisscrossing timezones and/or working from a jet. How’s the internet connectivity?

My firm got rid of private offices and put juniors (/unpopular midlevels) in hyperbaric chambers which spin at relativistic speeds so we can bill 27.4 hours per calendar day.

All kidding aside, you need to reach out and stay busy pretty soon if you want to get the next round of special bonuses. They will be tied to annualized hours and you don’t want a slow January preventing you from getting one. Ramp up soon or think about your next firm and try to finesse it into a guaranteed special bonus if it takes a few months to lateral. Good luck.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 07, 2022 2:42 pm

All kidding aside, you need to reach out and stay busy pretty soon if you want to get the next round of special bonuses. They will be tied to annualized hours and you don’t want a slow January preventing you from getting one. Ramp up soon or think about your next firm and try to finesse it into a guaranteed special bonus if it takes a few months to lateral. Good luck.

You write "All kidding aside," but then post something that sounds like a joke. Can you earn trolling credit if you start off by suggesting you're being serious?

Assuming you are being serious, we don't know if there will be another round of special bonuses so working harder than we otherwise would (not hard in general) is a calculated risk which may not pay off. It's different if your firm always gives higher bonuses for higher hours.

Second, only someone who is doing their first rodeo asks for more work because they're temporarily slow.

Third, lateraling because you're having a slow January is ridiculous unless work at your firm is generally so scarce throughout the entire year that you would not be able to easily get more work to meet hours later. A firm that has so little work probably isn't giving out special bonuses anyway.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 07, 2022 2:42 pm

All kidding aside, you need to reach out and stay busy pretty soon if you want to get the next round of special bonuses. They will be tied to annualized hours and you don’t want a slow January preventing you from getting one. Ramp up soon or think about your next firm and try to finesse it into a guaranteed special bonus if it takes a few months to lateral. Good luck.

This is a real concern. Once my firm gave special bonuses and didn't give me one because I was annualizing like 1500 after taking February off. Womp womp. Finished the year with 2100 but was never trued up. Still bitter years later.

I haven't seen any major firm with a requirement for special bonuses higher than 2000 billable hours so as long as you're above that (which on the transactional side it would be difficult to get under even if you tried) then you should be in good shape.