One of the few drawbacks to making the leap to SmallLaw is missing out on the Biglaw holiday parties. There was no better time to get drunk with my colleagues, and to finally tell that cute paralegal down in antitrust just how much she meant to me, and then to later find out she’s one of those people who leaves a voicemail every time she calls. The free-flowing alcohol, the emails from management saying the party isn’t just for staff so please show up, there’s really nothing like a Biglaw seasonal shindig.
Whereas if you’re in a firm of five or so people, spending your off-hours meeting up in bar somewhere with those very same five people you see every single day might not be high on your list of enjoyable holiday traditions.
But there are some options, so for those of you planning on making the SmallLaw leap right after the bonus you’ll be getting in a month or two, there’s hope for next Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa. Here are some options:
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Client holiday parties. If you have a large client in the same town as you, maybe you can finagle an invite to their party. Then you’re even more ensconced in the company, and the more people at the client know you and are friendly with you, the more difficult it’ll be for them to stop using you. On the other hand, have you ever heard the term, “don’t s*** where you eat”?
Bar association parties. Most bar associations have a solo and small-firm lawyer committee, and perhaps that committee will plan something. After all, it’s a bunch of solos and people at small firms, so they all presumably have the same issue of not having enough people to have a holiday party. If I were more of an actually-doing-stuff type instead of an idea guy, I would plan one myself. However, here in New York at least, the city bar association party is expressly “A Young Lawyer’s Holiday Party”, which presumably isn’t open to those of us who remember egg chairs.
Nothing. Bah humbug. Maybe don’t do anything. There’s nothing that says you don’t appreciate the employees you can’t afford to pay a Biglaw salary to like making no effort to do anything over the holidays. On the plus side, the firm gets to save a few bucks. On the minus side, after a few years of doing this, eventually your firm might go the way of egg chairs.
Charity donation instead of a party. Do you ever actually believe people who say they made a charity contribution in lieu of [insert obligation they’re trying to get of]? I don’t. Maybe I’m too jaded by fake news, but someone could show me the United Way receipt and I still wouldn’t believe them.
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Gifts instead. We all have plenty of time to think of the perfect gift, right? And you have to give everyone the same gift, otherwise someone might claim you have something going on with your assistant, just because you got her a diamond necklace while everyone else got a hardcover Black’s Law Dictionary.
Holiday lunch. So this is where most of us end up. Making it a lunch instead of an evening event avoids having to ask anyone to stick around after work, when both them and you would rather be going home to family. Have it late, like 2 p.m., so that when everyone gets back there isn’t too much time left in the workday. Go somewhere nice so everyone feels appreciated — and you might as well, since at least the firm isn’t having to pay for a big bash or a dinner. Discourage smartphone use, and maybe even have everyone turn on their out-of-office replies, so work is held at bay for a few moments. Last but not least, let everyone drink, as long as it’s holiday drinks like peppermint martinis or a Christmas/Kosher wine. Drink up, have fun, turn on the holiday music in the office for the rest of the day, and let everyone know how much you valued their help this year.
Yes, you can enjoy the holidays in SmallLaw.
Gary J. Ross opened his own practice, Jackson Ross PLLC, in 2013 after several years in Biglaw and the federal government. Gary handles corporate and securities matters for startups, large and small businesses, private equity funds, and investors in each, and also has a number of non-profit clients. You can reach Gary by email at [email protected].