My vent of the day about a first-year associate

[soleil]

I think you're expecting too little.

I'm a project assistant in tax/finance at a law firm, only been here 8 months, no background in law or finance (although I was a Criminology major).

Within 2 months of being hired I was editing LLC and LP agreements, drafting summaries of documents, editing comments from my boss, etc.

Now, 8 months later I create basic drafts of opinions, agreements, etc. in addition to editing, proofreading, and researching. Know what? I didn't go to law school, and my boss is the "here, read this and see if you can figure it out" type, so I haven't had any formal training on how to do any of this.

These folks have gone to law school, they should be able to review documents and write summaries.

I think you need to sit down and spell out your expectations.

[Deleted]

Aren't you in BigLaw too? Completely unacceptable. How did these people get a job?

(says the attorney responding to a GBCN post with incomplete sentences. But hey, this isn't being reviewed by a superior as work product)

[vanillacourage]

I would find the best one that one of her other two counterparts have done and give a copy to her, telling her to read through it for an example of the work quality you're looking for.

[Deleted]

Tell her you won't read it again until it's in complete sentences. And give her a specific time that the next draft is due. Unless she got the job through family connections, she knows how to write in complete sentences.

[WOT?*]

This is one of DH's biggest complaints (since he's the attorney and I'm merely the support that types in full sentences.) One of his former associates was Order of the Coif, Law Review, etc. and three years into the job was STILL abbreviating and using slang in briefs and formal documents. And this was the daughter of an attorney who grew up in the field too. Not a dumbskull who can't follow direction. Or apparently she was.

This is going on in his current office too. He's all "it's easier and faster for me to do it when they're giving it to me late and leaving early." So I tell him don't let them give it to him late and make sure they know you're looking for them after 5:00 if it comes down to it. Easier said than done, I know, but now that he's the boss I'm holding a small degree of hope that he can turn a couple of them around.

He's gotten much better about redlining and returning, thank goodness. Big or small, people are lazy if you let them get away with it.

[Deleted]

Oct 15, 2012 20:12:09 GMT -5 WOT?* said:

One of his former associates was Order of the Coif, Law Review, etc. and three years into the job was STILL abbreviating and using slang in briefs and formal documents.

My boss uses slang in briefs, and he's one of the most respected attorneys in our field. I'm not a fan, but it works for him apparently.

I'm really hoping that "And that's all [opponent's] got -- those two emails" comes out in the next draft of the brief we're working on.

Also, not all attorneys know how to write well. Not even the smart ones.

[ESF]

Oct 15, 2012 20:28:00 GMT -5 v said:

Oct 15, 2012 20:12:09 GMT -5 WOT?* said:

One of his former associates was Order of the Coif, Law Review, etc. and three years into the job was STILL abbreviating and using slang in briefs and formal documents.

My boss uses slang in briefs, and he's one of the most respected attorneys in our field. I'm not a fan, but it works for him apparently.

I think a sign of an excellent writer is knowing how to use slang or casual writing effectively in formal writing to make a point. The of counsel at my firm throws in slang all the time, even in appellate briefs. But, he is the best writer I've ever seen (and hasn't lost an appeal yet). To give you an idea, he was also able to drop down to being a very part time lawyer because he earns more money as a highly successful creative writer.

But, few lawyers can write well enough to pull it off, and even lawyers should ever try to take those kinds of liberties in brief writing.

[Deleted]

Oct 15, 2012 21:43:49 GMT -5 @88mangoes said:

Are you this person's supervisor? If you've told this person more than once, I would be documenting the conversation for further reference. If nothing else, you could pass along your assessment as an FYI for review time. (If you are a peer to their supervisor.)

People who blatantly refuse to follow directions are one of my biggest pet peeves.

Nothing will happen to this chick until she's a Fifth Year. Unless she leaves on her own prior to that. That's just the way that BigLaw rolls.