Secretaries At This Firm Are About To Get Annoying (Or: A New Gimmick For Timely Time Entry)

Would you want this policy to be implemented at your law firm?

When it comes to getting lawyers to enter their time in timely fashion, firms tend to rely more on threats than incentives. Enter your time on time, or else we’ll reduce your salary or dock your bonus. If you’re really bad about time entry, we might fire you — and in case you think finding a new job is easy, please note that “the job market is not so good right now, in case you did not know.”

One Biglaw firm is trying a kinder, gentler approach — the carrot instead of the stick. Last week, Steptoe & Johnson sent around a firm-wide memo announcing a new initiative around timekeeping. Here’s the money quote (bad pun fully intended):

Starting with the week of July 13th, secretaries will be eligible to receive a weekly bonus of $25 if all of the lawyers to whom they are assigned have all of their time entered for the previous week by close of business on the second business day of the week.

That works out to an extra $1,300 over the 52 weeks in a year — not a huge sum, but not chump change either. It’s bigger than year-end bonuses for most Biglaw staff. Given all the indignities that legal secretaries must confront these days, ranging from layoffs to alleged sexual harassment, we’re sure the Steptoe staffers would welcome the extra money.

What does it mean for Steptoe lawyers? My guess: lots of nagging from their secretaries — which is probably just what management had in mind when it came up with this initiative. If you are dilatory on your time, Steptoe attorneys, you are effectively taking food off your secretary’s family’s table.

Lawyers who understand the value of a good secretary and who prize good working relationships with their assistants now have extra reason to be diligent about time entry. But poorly timed reminders from secretaries to their lawyers could result in explosions. I can already hear some harried partner shouting, “I’ll just pay you the damn $25, now leave me alone so I can get this motion out the door!”

Readers, what are your thoughts? Secretaries, do you wish your firm had such an incentive program? Lawyers, is Steptoe’s idea innovative, or irritating?

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(Flip to the next page to read the complete Steptoe memo.)

Earlier: Biglaw Firm’s New Timekeeping Policy May Screw Associates Out Of Bonuses
Managing Partner Sends Cheerful Holiday Reminder That Associates May Be Fired Tomorrow
Biglaw Partner Pens Email Fantasy About Firing Delinquent Time Keepers
A Legal Secretary’s Super-Salacious Sexual Harassment Suit

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