Sometimes attorneys do deserve their bad reps

[Snowflake]

Okay, I work in a law firm by day. I work in what I call the nice branch of the law, I do patents. I'm not an attorney, just a patent secretary.

So our office is a satellite office of a much bigger fish, and they're starting to recruit and build our office up. So the first in the door is a pair of litigators (female is the partner and male is the associate). I've been around the block, and thank goodness every day that I do not do litigation, it's a headache (though attorneys tell me it is fun), not for the staff if you don't like it. I digress.

So, this pair of new attorneys arrive in our office on December 29th today is January 31st and this morning we reached a milestone of sorts. 6th temp came in the door today, she lasted all of 2 hours. She went to my boss and said, in essence, "I'm sorry, I'm too old to deal with this and be treated like I have been by this woman, bye." and then she packed up her purse and coat and left. I say, you go girl.

In any case, I wonder, is this woman's book of business so rich that the snaking conga line of temps that are parading through our office is worth the damage to our reputation as a place of good employment? I guess so, money talks. But this attorney has been a royal pain from day one and I envision that the party that happened at her last firm was a blowout the day after she vacated for our greener pastures.

Thank God I do not litigate and have almost nothing to do with this group. They have bad juju, I'm telling you, they can suck the chi right out of you.

[Gemini Cricket]

What goes around comes around. You can't be a jerk and expect everyone to kiss your behind. The temp agency may just see this and drop her as a client for being so ill-tempered.
I'm at that same point in my life, too old to be taking sh!t from anyone. Sorry, no dice.

Don't let them suck your chi, Donna.

:)

[Prudence]

Based on my mom's experience, the partner won't last too long. There was one office where my mom stayed less than a week because they were so awful.

[Snowflake]

Based on my mom's experience, the partner won't last too long. There was one office where my mom stayed less than a week because they were so awful.

She'll be here at least a year. In any case, can you say high maintenance? Glad I'm not in the line of fire is all I can say.

[Strangler Lewis]

Well, from the attorney's perspective . . .

Nah, I can't justify it.

Okay, I'll try. Somewhere along the line this woman:

1) got the idea that this is how she has to act if she's to be taken seriously (by the partners who matter, not the support staff). There are partners, and then there are partners. I have friends who have made partner and still feel like associates, and/or

2) worked in a real shyt flows downhill environment, which she has internalized, and/or

3) suffered a serious head trauma.

There are also plenty of temp. and perm. support staff at law firms who don't take what they do seriously, laugh about the clients, etc. Perhaps she's run into so many of them that her default response is anger.

She may also be a genius at what she does. Many geniuses are real asses.

[innerSpaceman]

I also work in a law office ... and the sh!theel litgators with 'tudes only get by with temp staff ... because you simply cannot treat regular staff like that in this day and age.

Litigation is very high stress and if you can't take the heat, blah, blah. But the days of attorneys treating staff ultra-poorly are over. No group is more attune to the liabilities of workplace harrassment than attorneys.

Too bad this bitch won't hire someone permanent. Then your firm would have to do something about her.

[Prudence]

I consider my years as a secretary and personal assistant to be one of my greatest assets. I know the power staff wield and the strings happy staff can pull on one's behalf. Plus, if I mistreat my future assistants poorly my mother will kill me.

[Snowflake]

Well, today is Number 7, lucky number 7. The temp is an ex-Marine, which gives me hope.

SL, I appreciate your views, not to be snide, but I am leaning toward the head trauma.

In any case, contrary to my previous posting, the temps have been slightly behind the 8-ball, they sit down in a new environment, they get general here is X and here is how you save X, but that's pretty much it. Problem is, said attorney expects everyone to sit down and pick up where the previous temp left off and get her briefs filed with attachments and exhibits through osmosis. She is not good at communicating everything all at once, all the instructions come in pieces (or not at all) and then when A-B-C and Z are not hooked together properly, she has a melt down.

Perhaps one of the qualifications needs to be the ability to do a Vulcan mind meld? I think in this case, my head would really hurt, a Vulcan Migraine.

[Gemini Cricket]

Seems like she's missing a step. Training may be in order for these new temps.
;) :D

[Not Afraid]

We have a LoT of law-type people on this board. I guess I never realized just how many of "you people" there are in these parts!

[Snowflake]

We have a LoT of law-type people on this board. I guess I never realized just how many of "you people" there are in these parts!

So does this mean I sold my soul to the devil? :evil:

[Jughead P. Jones]

Sounds like a typical day at the store I work at. In certain departments, you'd be lucky if they made it to the end of the month.

I only imagine the stress would be amplified at a law firm.

[Snowflake]

Okay, this has gotten totally ridiculous. I find myself wondering, (not having seen this attorney's resume), just how many law firms she has burned through? I've been in law for just over 20 years and by and large, most attorneys I've had to deal with have been good people and wonderful to work with. Some had lousy reps, some were overly picky, but this woman takes the cake.

Her presence and the constant drama and strife that surround her and that she creates is sucking the chi right out of our tiny little office. It's not just today, it's every single day she is here (and my poor boss, 24/7 via email and voicemail, as well).

One of the partners from VA who is also head of IP is in the office today, meeting with his client in the main conference room. This crazy woman, just called out my boss and the HR person, literally screaming at both of them, just outside the conference room, down the elevator and outside in the parking lot. Clearly audible to everyone in the conference room (and across the hall and every floor they passed on the way down). The litigation administrator who was hired to help organize and get things rolling just quit, the temp of the week just quit.

When is enough, enough? I've never seen anyone as unprofessional or as unreasonable as this attorney. Her behavior is unacceptable in any kind of office environment.

I needed to vent, I'm sorry, I'm done, but I'd like to stick a fork in her.

[wendybeth]

Why on earth are they putting up with her?

[Snowflake]

Why on earth are they putting up with her?


If I knew that answe'd be in charge of the world.

I did go in and offer moral support to my boss and ask her, why does not some litigation honcho fly out from VA or PA and read this woman the riot act? She shrugged and said, I wish someone would.

[katiesue]

Maybe they're afraid to fire her? I've worked with some really horrible "personalities" and it seems sometimes people are just to afraid to stand up to them.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Maybe they're afraid to fire her? I've worked with some really horrible "personalities" and it seems sometimes people are just to afraid to stand up to them.
Tell me about it. We've got one here. When I came on board, his reputation had preceded him. He worked, may years before I started, at my previous place of employment and the people there that knew him STILL talked about his...personality.

He's a jerk and a bully and everyone knows it. After I filed a formal complaint against him for making ludicrous accusations to my face, I learned that my manager has zero respect for him.

And yet, he's been here for several years. He is seen as "talented" and has knowledge that, thanks to being a jerk and few people wanting to talk to him, no one else has. And his manager is too timid to do anything to reign him in (although I have noticed that since filing my complaint, he is not sent to interface with my department as much, if at all. Hmmm).

Considering the relatively small size of the company, especially back when he was hired, I'm surprised he lasted this long. He does know his stuff, but there's got to be a point where the fact that people would rather waste time avoiding him than go directly to him when we should is costing the company more than his knowledge gains them.