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Featured Survey Results: Did You Work on MLK?

Martin Luther King Jr Day MLK Day On Day Off Above the Law blog.jpgIn last month's ATL / Lateral Link survey we asked you which holidays you worked on, or expected to work on, during 2007. About half of you reported that you had worked on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Last week, we asked you how you fared this year. Did you take the day off to honor a champion of civil rights, or did you make it a "day on"?

We received just under 1,300 responses, and 44% of you reported that you took the day off. Associates in New York, Los Angeles and Boston were most likely to celebrate the holiday, while associates in Chicago, Atlanta, the Bay Area, and Texas were most likely to be working. (Respondents in the Bay Area were also most likely to work over Christmas and New Year's. Is it time for them to get New York bonuses?)

How did it break down on a firm by firm basis? DLA Piper, Milbank, Sidley & Austin, Dechert, Hunton & Williams, Jones Day, Latham, Mayer Brown, McDermott, Hughes Hubbard, McGuire Woods, Morgan Lewis, Nixon Peabody, Paul Hastings, and Sullivan & Cromwell each had multiple happy associates who reported that they had taken the day off. Kirkland & Ellis, Baker Botts, Dewey & LeBoeuf, O'Melveny & Myers, Weil, and Winston & Strawn each had mixed responses. Associates at Skadden, however, uniformly reported that they had worked the holiday, as Martin Luther King Jr. day is a "floating" holiday for the firm.

Of those who spent the day at the office, about 54% reported that they weren't actually asked to work the holiday, but had things they needed to get done. About a quarter reported that their offices were open. Another quarter said that partners told them to work on the holiday. About 8% were asked to work by clients. A surprising number of respondents wrote in that other associates had told them to work on the holiday.

A little over a third of respondents who worked on the holiday thought that the work did not justify the sacrifice.

Comments
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1 Posted by first | Permalink Monday, February 4, 2008 12:41 PM

3rd time. I think I need to work more, and spend less time on ATL...

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2 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, February 4, 2008 12:55 PM

I had a dream that ATL went down... I was pretty sad

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3 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, February 4, 2008 1:11 PM

Seriously, does Lat work here any more, outside of popping in to hang a Help Wanted sign in the morning?

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4 Posted by anonymie | Permalink Monday, February 4, 2008 1:17 PM

I celebrated MLK's legacy by hitting the strip clubs and golf courses of Vegas over the 3-day weekend. I have a dream, baby...

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5 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, February 4, 2008 1:28 PM

Yeah uh, there is a much better discussion in the comments here:

http://www.abovethelaw.com/2008/02/skaddenfreude_hillarys_biglaw.php#more

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6 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, February 4, 2008 1:56 PM

The comments here are very sophomoric, and trivialize the contributions of MLK and the solemn occasion of MLK day, which should be for internal reflection on where we stand today on building a society based on equality, fairness, and justice. Grow up people; there are many things you can make fun of. This is not one of them.

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7 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, February 4, 2008 2:31 PM

Did anyone hear of the suppressed FBI report regarding MLK's "crazy night" with caucasian prostitutes?

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8 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, February 4, 2008 2:37 PM

who cares about MLK day, it isn't a real holiday anyway.....

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9 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, February 4, 2008 2:38 PM

Skadden: Boo on you for diversity recruiting!

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10 Posted by Kanye West | Permalink Monday, February 4, 2008 3:43 PM

This just goes to show that law firms don't care about black people.

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11 Posted by jock@law | Permalink Monday, February 4, 2008 3:51 PM

"Kirkland & Ellis, Baker Botts, Winston & Strawn, Dewey & LeBoeuf, O'Melveny & Myers, Weil, and Winston & Strawn each had mixed responses."

Oh man. Mixex responses from both Winston & Strawn AND Winston & Strawn. Damn.

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