first?

What about, if you want something done right, don't give it to a junior?

the benefits of being a mid-level/senior associate...

this is a survey! i DEMAND a picture of a cuddly kitty cat!

Mid-level associates who hoard their billables should be whacked, because they're detrimental to the firm's future. If hoarding leads to laying off first year associates, then, the firm is not training or planning for the future very well.

Also, from pure economics point of view, mid-level associates tend to lose profitability as they increase in the ranks so it is better to lay them off first before addressing first years who can be trained at less cost.

Law firm partners need to be conscious of the mathematics behind law firm economics and, judging from the implosion of a number of law firms, plus stealth layoffs, many do not understand the fundamentals of the business.

You don't kill your young. You kill the middle ones who are not as productive as partners, seniors, and first-years.

"selfish"

hahaha

Maybe the questioner isn't get any billable work because they don't know how to spell.

so mid-levels and seniors are at risk of getting fired, while us juniors don't have as much billable work. Hey, I'll take that trade-off.

Hoarding is happening and it is justified. If I were a mid-level/senior attorney I would hoard as well, no question about it.

You know what is frustrating and selfish? Juniors getting bonuses that are close to what an 8th year makes.

Being a midlevel or senior associate involves 100 times more pressure, considerably less reward on a value added basis and is 500 times more thankless. F the juniors right in the know nothing cornholes.

it's an adverb

Ha ha ha, I'm a second year (dare I say third year), and I'm hoarding work.

its not hoarding. its work that busy midlevels would give to junors . not that they are not, why would a junior feel "entitled" to anything

As a junior associate, I kind of like the senior hoarding. more free time for me. its not like the old days, the bonuses aren't worth the extra effort anyway.

#6: Mid-levels associates can almost always do work two or three times more efficiently than first years (whether we are talking about document review, diligence, document drafting, etc.). If mid-levels have nothing to do, it makes no sense for them to get the first years to spend more billable time to the same work less effectively.

Well, M. 2:29 who looks down his nose at "juniors," lamenting their lack of deserving: Were you not a junior yourself at one point?

--Old Guy Partner

You can call it hoarding, but for me it's more control of costs. We don't generally get juniors to do tasks because they're cheaper, we get them to do tasks because they are of a very high volume, because we need to train junior associates or because others aren't available. It is rough that there are few training opportunities right now, but we just don't have the luxury for several iterations at higher cost right now.

"the questioner isn't get any billable work because they don't know how to spell"

What's the name of the principle that any post criticizing someone else's grammar or spelling will itself contain a mistake?

15 = next one to get laid off.

its not hoarding. its work that busy midlevels would give to junors . not that they are not, why would a junior feel "entitled" to anything

This phenomenon can be summed up in three words that are equally true in good times and bad:

"Shit rolls downhill"

16,

If midlevels have nothing to do, then they should get laid off.

First years can be redeployed to other fields and more lucrative billables.

Midlevels in this economy are a luxury that can be easily done without.

Yeah, I'm a class of 2008 new litigation hire at a t-15 firm. Haven't seen anything but pro bono work in close to two months. Looks like hours hording to me, and it ticks me off.

19, it's called Muphry's Law.

11 wins.

Mystal's Law

19:

Dammit!!!

--
8

Breaking: The Butt Cheeks Poster is, in fact, a GULC student. Breaking now, Dateline Washington.

Midlevel to work he should be handing down to a junior:

BITCH SPREAD THE BUTT CHEEKS SO I CAN SMELL THE JUICY INSIDES!!!!

Nice, 25.

You really need to put an option on the surveys just to see the results. They are always going to be off because people who aren't at firms but want to see the results will just randomly pick an option.

of course I'm hoarding all the hours I can. And come review time, I'm going to ding my subordinates for not working hard enough. 2-for-1, baby.

Yeah, I'm a class of 2008 new litigation hire at a t-15 firm. Haven't seen anything but pro bono work in close to two months. Looks like hours hording to me, and it ticks me off.

Yeah, I'm a class of 2008 new litigation hire at a t-15 firm. Haven't seen anything but balls-copying work in close to two months. Looks like hours hording to me, and it ticks me off.

Thanks, 25.

As a Jr. I just do better work than the mid levels. That is the best way to overcome the problem.

20, that's your fear of failure talking

What a "coincidence" that butt cheeks poster posted right after the guy accusing said poster of being a GULC student.

Hmmmm

Nick Sobotka: Seniority sucks.
La La: If you ain't a senior.

34 - suck it up. If you're a stub, I'm betting your hours don't count for anything this year. Not so for the people above you. Be a team player.

6 - You don't know what you're talking about. Midlevels are more profitable than juniors (billing rates increase faster than salaries). Don't lecture about law firm economics if you don't understand them. Oh, and don't mess with Texas.

In my office there is plenty of work to be done - but the second (soon to be third) years are doing most of it.

If a first year/stub went to a partner and asked for work, the partner would probably give it to them. They're not though.

These are tough times kiddies. You want work? You have to hustle for it. You want good work? Pay your dues.

I hoard hours like its my job.

Senior associates? What about partners. The head of my group hasn't said more than hello to me in about a year. And that's if I see her in the elevator. If I ask what she's working on, she changes the subject. I'm jumping on every "four hours, max" assignment that comes over the all-attorneys email list. My mentor is sympathetic, but at the end of the day, he does not have a dog in this fight. We're just another piece capital, like a desk. If there are one too many, first you put in an empty office, then storage, then toss it out.

Clueless blogger and some clueless readers! Anyone who is mid and up already know this but for the rest of you, let me clue you in. "Hoarding" implies that mids & seniors have a SAY in whether or not work can trickle down to jrs. Majority of the time, we don't. Partners assign work to us and unless expressly told to find a jr or that we can pass bulk of work to a jr (so long as we supervise), we HAVE to do the f*cking work ourselves! So if any jrs have a problem with hoarding, stop blaming us and go b*tch to the partners. I've got work to finish before catching my flight out of this ice bowl!

43, is there anything I can help you with? I have capacity and I haven't had a chance to work with you yet. I've heard great things about your practice and I would love to get a feel for it.

/hustling

i'm a stub. i want work so i can learn. stop hoarding.

-stub panhandling for work

I am class of 2008, and have billed over 400 hours since starting in October. My group is busy, and looks to be in the coming year as well.

not training your juniors is a horrid mistake. you're trading speed now for inexperienced 2nd and 3rd years down the line. stop hoarding.

Stubs are only slightly less annoying than law school students. It's like you're starting to realize this isnt an academic pursuit like a journal publication... but you don't quite get that it's a business.

I am an 08 and I have been begging for work from partners, taking any pro-bono project that comes along, and traversing all practice groups. And ZILCH.

38,

I think you mean "substantial experience, wisdom and common sense."

20

Stub panhandling for work: panhandling is not a skill that will be of much value in future years. Instead, how about you skim legal or financial news, find topic worth writing about and relevant to your group/firm and take idea to your partner? Even if it doesn't pan out (yea, pun intended), at least you show some initiative or even better, end up having billable work sent your way. Just saying...

That hoarder chick is pretty hot. I'd like to see her and Kash get in a cat fight over billable hours. Or they could just make out and stuff, either way.

"If they're savvy, clients will likely grow annoyed to be charged senior level rates for junior level work."

Any savvy mid level can dress up the most mundane junior level work in a time entry description.

same here. all the stubs are begging but they won't hand the work down.

BITCH SPREAD THE GULC FLAPS SO I CAN SMELL THE JUICY INSIDES!

As a mid-level, I'd be happy if I had the hours to hoard.

5th year billing exorbitant rates for doc review here

Give me a break. If the juniors were in the senior's shoes they'd horde billables too. It's survival now at BIGLAW firms. All you greedy idiot juniors should think for a minute before you bitch about others being selfish. Some senior associate is suppose to sacrifice for a bunch of dildo associates fresh out of LS who don't know how to practice law, so that he can lose his job while the junior survives? Yeah, in the real world that happens all the time, idiots.

45 nails it. Its partners hoarding hours to compensate for their lack of rainmaking skills. And then the firm will lay off associates for "performance" reasons.

*steals an assignment off 59's desk*

- Stub pandling for work

Does Mystal hoarding all of the canned goods in DC count?

47:

You need to work on your hustle. Partners don't give work to form e-mails that appear in their inbox. They give work to humans.

Knock on partners' doors, sit down across the desk, and ask what they're working on. Don't ask for work for yourself right away. Be interested in the partner's monologue. Ask questions. When the partner mentions an "interesting" issue in an ongoing or upcoming case, helpfully offer to look into it for them. 9 times out of 10 the partner will say "sure, go ahead."

Or, if the partner doesn't have anything going on, ask what pitches the partner is working on. Get involved in a pitch, and you may find yourself on a case team.

Put in a 110% effort on whatever you're able to dig up, and more assignments will be forthcoming. Develop a good reputation and you won't have to hustle any more -- the partners will come to you with work.

Comment removed by moderator.

46 nailed it. next topic.

I'd give my work to junior associates if I thought they could do a good job, but I know from experience they can't. So, I'm going to be working over my 6 day vacation next week (including the weekend), the only vacation I've had in a year. Junior associates should get their heads out of the a$$es and then maybe we'd give them work.

LOL right 65-- partners just love it when first-years drop by to chat about how work is going.

54 - thanks, but does anyone have any good work-begging tips? I need work, not legal news and information (unless that information leads to another job).

--3Y who's not used to begging for work and would hoard his ass off if he had the hours

Ellie Mystal = reverse ponzi

“not training your juniors is a horrid mistake. you're trading speed now for inexperienced 2nd and 3rd years down the line. stop hoarding.”

If things ever do pick up, the hundreds of currently laid off 2nd and 3rd years would be glad to pick up exactly where they left off.

wow, given ATL's wide latitude, just how bad was 66's comment that it had to be removed?

“not training your juniors is a horrid mistake. you're trading speed now for inexperienced 2nd and 3rd years down the line. stop hoarding.”

If things ever do pick up, the hundreds of currently laid off 2nd and 3rd years would be glad to pick up exactly where they left off.

“not training your juniors is a horrid mistake. you're trading speed now for inexperienced 2nd and 3rd years down the line. stop hoarding.”

If things ever do pick up, the hundreds of currently laid off 2nd and 3rd years would be glad to pick up exactly where they left off.

47:

You need to work on your hustle. Partners don't give work to form e-mails that appear in their inbox. They give work to humans.

Knock on partners' doors, sit down across the desk, and ask what they're working on. Don't ask for work for yourself right away. Be interested in the partner's monologue. Ask questions. When the partner mentions an "interesting" issue in an ongoing or upcoming case, helpfully offer to look into it for them. 9 times out of 10 the partner will say "sure, go ahead."

Or, if the partner doesn't have anything going on, ask what pitches the partner is working on. Get involved in a pitch, and you may find yourself on a case team.

Put in a 110% effort on whatever you're able to dig up, and more assignments will be forthcoming. Develop a good reputation and you won't have to hustle any more -- the partners will come to you with work.

50 - You're saying that like I care. I want first years to get as little experience as possible so that they all get fired and the firm isn't overloaded on midlevels when I'm up for partner. Don't like it? Sucks to be you.

55 - You need to get down to Texas more. That might pass for hot in New York, but she wouldn't even merit a second look in Dallas.

Don't mess with Texas.

69

It's easier to fire someone who is unknown to the partner and who cruises the Internet all day without any billables.

It's not so easy to fire an associate who has shown initiative in getting work and getting to know the partner.

Gumption. Moxie. Spirit. Ambition.

Those are the things partners want to see. If you don't have that, don't bother coming in to work.

Its times like these that make me thankful for being Jewish.

65/76 - I'd rather have a pink slip than kiss partner ass, thanks.

give me work. give me work now!

Dateline Washington, Breaking News: The "Butt Cheeks" Poster is, in fact a GULC student. And for your information, the fourth place finisher was, in fact, Mike Katz.

WTF?

The festival of lights is downright depressing when you don't have a job RIGHT NOW like those TPW associates.

Yep, you gave your bubke a $3,000 plasma TV last night right before getting the news today that you're fired.

I just took a post lunch grumption and got an assignment out of it.

Suck it, Texas.

80,

So you'd rather starve than engage in an ordinary business conversation with a partner?

Yes, I can see why people would call you stupid.

84

That's just fucking gross. Why would anybody engage in sex acts in a public restroom? You must have been really desperate for billables if you did THAT amidst the stench.

65/76: Can you really just do that? I'd be intimidated to waltz into a partner's office like that.

This is why billable hour requirements are bad for everybody. Bad for clients who have to pay more expensive midlevels and seniors, bad for junior associate experience, bad for midlevels and seniors because they don't develop their management skills, bad for partners... oh wait... maybe not bad for everybody.

Hours targets are a huge conflict of interest that should have to be disclosed to all clients in detail.

85, there ARE actually alternatives to working at biglaw that pay enough to keep you fed and sheltered.

Gov't lawyers may make less than a first year associate, but they still make 6 figures, and in this economy that's nothing to sneeze at. We gov't lawyers also don't have to fear layoffs or kiss partner's arses.

70 - did you not understand 54's point? How about the expression "beggars can't be choosers"? If work well truly dry at your firm right now, then 54's suggestion is valid. Getting involved in researching and writing article kills several birds with one bullet. I was a jr during 02/03 recession and although different, it too wasn't much fun. But I had incredible luck in working on firm alert on fairly new topic which covered several different practice areas. Aside from getting to know other practice members (mostly partners) while gettin info on potential impact, I got on short list when related work started to come in. 1 article in 02 still paying dividends today. Think about it.

Lots of Latham people bitching here.

stubs may have lower billing rates but overall it costs more to teach them how to wipe their asses. partners are the ones who say whether midlevels can have junior help.

No way 55, she's a mess. Where did you get that dress, it's awful, and those shoes and that coat, jeeeeez!

87,

That's because waltzing into a parter's office like that is a stupid idea which will just annoy the partner. Certainly if you've worked with a particular partner in the past a phone call or email when you're slow is not inappropriate and will be remembered even if s/he has nothing to give you at the time, but popping in personally to say hello to someone who has much more important things to be doing just makes you seem like a desperate stalker.

45 is right. Plus after nine months of not talking to me and changing the subject if I asked about work, the head of my (very small, one partner) group fired me (the only senior associate) and said, look, I need to make my hours target too, and I can do that by taking on the work you used to do, but I can't do (or shouldn't be doing) the work the juniors are meant to do.

BITCH SPREAD THE GULC FLAPS SO I CAN SMELL THE JUICY INSIDES!

GW2L

Work hoarding is an Olympic sport - and it's not a new event. From the mid 1970's when rates and hours started to be tracked - hoarding has occurred in recessions just as the night follows the day. There is one famous firm in Chi town that is so short of work for its 2008's that virtually none of them have billable work and instead scrounge for go fetch assignments in the pro bono kennels

Nobody at Dechert is hoarding hours, they are just sitting around waiting to draw straws to determine who will be the last one left to turn out the lights on the way out. (Either through stealth lay-offs, mass lay-offs - coming soon to an office near you, people fleeing out the door to any firms/jobs they can get or through the final solution of a firm that will dissolve.)

I too just took a a very painful post lunch grumption and got an assignment out of it.

Suck it, Charlotte.

It's rather sad that the stubs and first years don't realize that the crap work that stubs and first years typically do simply doesn't exist when deals aren't getting done.
There just isn't much delegable work when working on an amendment, breakup, windup, workout, etc. of an existing deal, compared to the voluminous makework paperwork generated in a real closing.

Amen, 46, amen. I try to be patient with our newbies but it's getting old fast. (And 80, your pink slip is being written up - enjoy!)

what is a stub? seriously

85, 80 here - 93 nailed it. Call it stupidity, call it pride, or call it common sense, but I don't think anyone respects a kiss-ass, and I don't want to work for anyone who does. I ain't gonna starve without biglaw.

@101 A stub is a lawyer entering the firm this year (last year's summers typically, who started working this fall after taking the bar exam). They get a pro-rated bonus, if any.

...another week spent making $3000 doing nothing

102,

Yes, I can see that you'll always find excuses not to succeed in life.

But given my experience, you'll probably fail upwards.

Oh well.

Still doesn't excuse your character failings.

Here's another tip for the stubs and juniors readers here: partners give, or should give, more leeway to you than mids+. Just don't be an idiot. Approach your partner(s) with a measure of intelligence and understanding of both the legal and economic climate. If they brush you off, then indication of bad choice/people and remember it when it gets better for you to jump ship.

not nearly enough hours here at latham

A classic from Anonymous Lawyer:

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

I was in the restroom today and I saw an associate in the stall next to me wiggle his fingers under the partition between stalls. I ignored it, like I do whenever associates do anything besides work. He did it again. I thought maybe he was holding his hand out for an assignment, thinking perhaps I'd brought one with me to the bathroom. It turns out I had. I took the papers from my pocket and put them in his wiggling fingers. Then his foot crept under the stall and rubbed against mine. He wanted more. So I reached into my other pocket and pulled out a credit agreement. I scrawled at the top, "Proofread this," and slipped it under the partition. He took it. Forty minutes later, the completed assignment and proofread credit agreement arrived on my desk. Well done. Associates bold enough to ask for assignments in the bathroom are acceptable in my book.

But not everyone sees it that way. See, this associate was already working for another partner. And it's not entirely within the normal protocol for an associate committed to one partner to be looking to engage with other partners, especially in the bathroom. And especially from a completely different practice group. There are rumors he's done this before. There are a number of different bathrooms in the office designated as "work bathrooms," where there are outlets in each stall for laptop computers, fully functioning wireless, a printer, and a secretary on duty at all times. While these bathrooms function as normal bathrooms throughout the day, everyone is aware that work does go on there, especially in the corner stall. So an especially eager associate can cruise these bathrooms throughout the day and, if he's lucky, find an extra assignment or two. These may not be the best assignments the firm has to offer, but they allow some exposure to new partners and perhaps enable connections that will help the associates down the line. Most associates don't talk about their secret bathroom rendezvous. Somehow the bathroom assignments are considered dirty, illegitimate, cheating. And some associates, over time, get a reputation.

What ends up complicating matters is that most associates don't like it when one of their own is begging too hard for these bathroom opportunities. They don't like to see someone stand out, meet new partners, and put themselves in a position to move ahead. So once an associate gets a reputation for cruising the bathrooms, he puts himself at risk for vigilante justice. Associates who aren't into the bathroom scene corner their colleagues, rough them up a little bit, steal their copies of the tax code. It can be an ugly scene. But it's not my job to police the associates. In a way, I like to see associates take matters into their own hands. And I like that it means that associates who want the bathroom assignments know they're taking a risk, but they do it anyway. Their impulse to do as much work as they can, their impulse to impress as many partners as possible, their raw biological impulses are so strong that they're willing to put their bodies (and tax codes) at risk for it. That's the kind of dedication I like to see. The kind of commitment that makes me proud to work at a place like this, and proud to see an associate's fingers wiggling under the bathroom partition and give him exactly what he deserves. To put that thick, hot-off-the-printer lease agreement right in his hands. Makes me proud to be a lawyer.

not nearly enough hours here at latham

It's rather sad that the stubs and first years don't realize that the crap work that stubs and first years typically do simply doesn't exist when deals aren't getting done.
There just isn't much delegable work when working on an amendment, breakup, windup, workout, etc. of an existing deal, compared to the voluminous makework paperwork generated in a real closing.

102, how did 93 "nail it" when even some/most partners aren't that busy these days? Shit, I actually had one offer up lunch out of the office for first time ever! Also, there's a huge difference from the kiss-ass method (apparently employed by you) and professional interaction (employed by the likes of 54 and 90). Only the utterly clueless associate doesn't have some partner gauge by this point.

93: Either you are are wrong, or the partners you work for are serious dickwads. Even if a partner doesn't have time to chat, they appreciate the effort a first year shows in trying to get to know them and their practice. I know because I hear this all the time from my friends a year or two ahead of me - who now happen to be partners.

69: Yes. Partners do love when you just drop by their office to chat - just as much anyone else loves the chance to procrastinate for a few minutes to meet someone new. Especially first years, who are young and excited about working, instead of cranky and bitter and tiring.

80: You are not long for this business.

87: Don't be intimidated by partners. You are a lawyer. You may have to face down judges, opposing counsel, reporters, politicians, etc. The last people to fear are the ones on your own team. They want you to succeed because your success = their success. So talk to them.

54: Good idea.

sorry - its everyone for themselves

Midlevel hoarding isn't the problem. A lot of "junior" work can be done as efficiently if not more so by a midlevel. It's junior partner/nonequity partner hoarding that's the problem because then the work never trickles down to the appropriate levels.

109 - not nearly enough hours at a lot of places

114 for president

The junior partners need to make rain or get lost

114 is obviously a fan of the trickle down theory. Given the parlous state of billables, I would submit that the theory has been disproven.

Without regulation, there will be hoarding since everyone will be attempting to maximize their own personal good at the expense of the commons.

I love how everyone is pointing fingers at each other.

Truly a circular firing squad in BigLaw now.

116, I accept your nomination. ~ 114

114 = Big Law Curiouis

Not really, 119. Those with actual experience know that there's only one true target: partners. All other commenters are just keeping up their typing skills.

please just give me something to do so that I don't sit here reading 120+ comments

-- bored --

119, not true. I am not pointing fingers at juniors, or even seniors. Heck, I feel bad for associates at all levels. I don't want the hard-working, collegial, smart, deserving seniors to get booted because some lesser intelligence jerk made non-equity partner years ago and is hoarding the work. I don't want the smart juniors I like to get booted because they don't have work. I don't think associates should have to be the only ones suffering when certain partners lack business or rainmaking abilities or talent. Why don't we ever hear about partner firings - has the crap only fallen on the associates? ~114

118 - "parlous???" Really? What the hell is a PARLOUS?????

124,

"Why don't we ever hear about partner firings - has the crap only fallen on the associates?"

Tell that to the TPW partners that weren't invited to party at Sonnenschein and got left holding the flaming bag of dog poop.

But something tells me that associates aren't going to spare a lot of sympathy for those partners.

(equity) partners own the firm - you don't usually fire yourself.

125=Not BigLaw material

Law students, pay attention. Law firm dynamics in obtaining work is the most annoying aspect of being an associate at a big firm, and depends in large part on the situation and the people you work with. My first firm was great - open door, open lines of communication with partners, easy to get work, the whole bit. My second firm is a nightmare - closed doors, first-person-to-respond-gets-this-work emails, "if you don't have hours, it's your own fault," etc.

So pay attention during your summer clerkship (if you have one), and ask questions.

Dear Partners,

Please enact policies mandating the delegation of work to stubs. It's not going to happen without your leadership.

Sincerely,

-Stub panhandling for work

Hello Peeps:

I have my own firm, and I don't have to worry about billable hours.

I do have to worry about generating NEW business.

127 - emphasis on "usually." And enjoy your equity for the next few days!

NYC to de-equitize!

Parlous voo frawnsay?

7th year here billing hours on a doc review.

MINE!!!!!!!

*snarls, bares teeth at approaching hungry stub*

Partners are hoarding as well.

No business partners always suck up work and claim it's better for the firm if they do the billing. Well, it's better for them because many firms socialize the costs of associates while privatizing the reward from partners billing hours. The down side is that allowing partners to hoard work makes clients mad (seeing partner rates to review documents, seriously?), makes associates sad (negative feedback on justification for salaries and bonii) and starts the toilet bowl circling process from which many firms never recover.

I suspect that at long last we'll start to see firms de-equitize those partners who brown-nosed their way into partner-hood and then pulled up the ladder making everyone who followed spend years in non-equity partner purgatory.

I can see it now: "Hello, I'd like to be an equity partner at your firm. I require $1,500,000/yr plus corner office, parking, etc. No, I have no business nor any contacts but I'm a world class butt kisser. I'd like to start today. Oh, and I'd really like a $250,000 signing bonus." HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Somehow, a practice that was always laughable, but which many firms chose to pretend wasn't really simple stupidity, can now be openly mocked.

6's suggestion that first years are profitable must work at a firm that uses first years for massive amounts of document review. That's fine, but they're useless in every other aspect of transactional work.

As a senior associate, I delegate more work when I am busier. When I'm not as busy, I don't delegate as much. More importantly, my clients don't have the money now to waste on having a junior associate do something and pay me to re-do it. And the partners are asking us to be very careful in what we delegate, because they don't want to write off too much time and they don't want to have outrageous bills for clients.

The best way for a junior associate to get work is to do an excellent job (or at least TRY to do an excellent job) with the work that they are given. That way, they will be the go-to person for mid-levels, seniors and partners. Sadly, a LOT of junior to midlevel associates are simply not understanding that I don't have much patience for ridiculous errors in this market. I can't in good faith charge a client for your poor work ,and there are WAY too many people looking for a job for me to ignore your failings...

I have work to delegate now. But I'm spending SO MUCH TIME on fixing the things I delegate, that I'd be better off just doing it myself. Stop whining about how you don't have work to do. Try to learn from the projects you have, stay current, and catch up on your CLE.

138 is about to get booted after not making partner. see ya in the arby's drive through pal. don't put too much sauce on my sandwhich either, or i'll tell your manager and have you fired.

Many have probably already said this, but where I'm from it's called competing. You want work, go get it. This is not pre-school, amd I am not your babysitter.

139 - Actually, I'm a couple years away from partner eligibility; my work is excellent; my hours are good; and I'm not doing junior-level work in order to my hours there. However, I'm not going to generate a lot of hours for juniors if the client won't pay. And my clients really don't want to pay for juniors if they don't know what they're doing. Maybe I'm just frustrated with some of my juniors - some are great and some are really not performing well at all. You'd be reluctant to give them work as well, since it's your responsibility to fix their errors at the 11th hour.

But, like you, I enjoy Arby's.

BITCH SPREAD THE JUICY INSIDES SO I CAN SMELL THE BUTT CHEEKS!!

-GULC 2L

I assume this was said above, but in case not, I can tell you that senior associates that want to push down work are often told not to because we can do something in a few hours that a first or second year will take a week to do. So when times get tough, the partner would rather have 3 hours times 450 showing up on the bill than 20 hours times 250-300...... I have noticed this at my firm (very large firm, litigation department). Our senior and even mid-level associates are billing through the roof, but a lot of the first and second years are slow. You can call this work hoarding if you want, but it is really just saving the client money rather than making them pay to train junior people in a tough economy.

143, there is a simple solution: write the stub and first year work down. this isn't rocket science. we need to get experience too. if this conflicts with some firm policy about write downs, then change the policy until these tough economic times are over. what's the firm going to do in a couple years when it's second and third years have 0 experience? i'm sure the clients will be happy to see the high hours x the high billing rate. like is said, there's an easy solution here.

This happens at all large firms in bad times. Everyone starts covering their own ass and this is the best way to do it.

Anyone who thinks that midlevels are inefficient or are going to be on the chopping block don't understand how biglaw works. Midlevels are the most efficient and they have the safest jobs. It is almost never a problem for a client when a midlevel hoards work. Generally a midlevel can do things twice as fast as a first year and at only a 30% increase in billing rate. And when you hoard, you also avoid the time when you have to explain the work to the junior which is time in which you are both billing.
But sometimes work hording at the senior level can be a problem because then the billing rate difference might be getting close to 100% more and senior associates often aren't much faster than midlevels for a lot of things.
Anyway, it is an issue that always comes up during a recession. The partners know about it and they take that into account when they look at the billable hours of their junior associates. The junior associates are rarely the first one's fired, usually the axe falls on the senior associates who aren't going to make partner. So juniors should keep hustling, but relax a bit. You should enjoy the silver lining of free nights and weekends. Trust me, during the busy years, plenty of junior associates were pretty darn abused. That can be tough on the body and the mind. This quiet time that you have fallen into, may turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to you.
That is if you can keep your job for another year. :-)

hello?

4th year: I drink your milkshake. I drink it up!

*farts*
*shits*

aww yeah

juniors not only don't have work, but they are also lazy little fuckers when you give them some...sending emails at five o'clock asking whether you mind if they go home.

146:
Hording work may help save the client on their bill now but in the long run it cuts out valuable training for those junior associates who will one day be "efficient" mid-level and senior associates. What happens in 3 years when the junior associates are being billed out $300+/hr for 20 hours of work because they lack the requisite knowledge or skill to do the job?

150 if you give me work i will live at the firm 'till it gets done

150, with that attitude, you'll be fine. It's those who act like it's 2006 that are fucked.

This is as much a partner issue as an associate one. They should take the lead in ensuring that all the various needs everyone has mentioned are balanced -- juniors are given work for training, upper levels aren't punished for passing such work down, and that there are midlevels around who can help the seniors so they don't get overwhelmed.

Latham airing its dirty laundry in public, for shame.

129: Very true. I hated that part of being at a large firm. It creates a lot of paranoia. I'd find myself jealous of somebody who got assigned some horrible project and wonder why I hadn't been chosen.

What about partners? Partners in my group virtually are on milk cartons. They are "working at home" rather frequently, and shut up in their offices when they do turn up. And if you ask them about their work they change the subject. All work is either horded by them, with the aid of their secretaries, or kicked down to first-years to save money. This is in deed a V20. Firms like ours that proudly charge the top of market in reg practices are getting murdered by "TTTs" who charge somewhat less but are building practices and have busy midlevels.

partners are also hoarding.

Here is a hint, I like you, but not more than my family, my house, my vacations and my own career. If I have to choose between them and you, it is a very easy decision, you are not really a concern of mine.

159: Yeah, we heard you when you put the same exact post on another thread.