Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Someone who currently works here wrote a letter to Prudence about having a strict boss. (It's the first letter.) I actually agree with Prudence's answer---if you have a tough, demanding job like that, as much as you want support and encouragement, you're not going to get it at one of those jobs. This person is an assistant at a law firm---K Street, maybe? I dunno.
But yes, I got that career-driven DC vibe from the letter writer.
The part of Prudence's response that really stands out to me is her comment about the generational miscommunication and the employee's need for constant reassurance. That is what happens when schools start teaching kids that giving it your best is all that counts, and that there aren't winners and losers in sports and competition.
The job market is competitive here in DC (at least in the private sector) and if someone can't stand the fire, they need to move back to the midwest where their partents can give them constant reassurance.
In law school, all people told you about the different firms was whether the partners at such and such a placer were "yellers". So firms started taking partners to the woodshed for raising their voice to an associate ever. Made things kind of strange at times. I don't know why anyone would go into law if they can't get comfortable with a little conflict.
That said, as a new lawyer you learn (or should) REALLY QUICKLY to be very, very nice to the staff. They can sink you if they want to. This was true to such a degree at my firm (in NY) that a lot of the secretaries could get . . . gosh, what's the word? Pissy?
Secretaries would tell the junior lawyers they worked for what they (the secretaries) would and would not do, and more often than not what they were willing to do was to go to lunch and take off early. My office mate's secretary reduced my office mate to tears once. I think my office mate was trying to get her to type something. The secretaries were unionized, so no one could even fire them. I wonder how many of them thought they had demanding jobs with mean lawyers? I think the ones who got pushed all the way down to the newest associates knew the power they had, but I also think they would never admit it if asked.
Who knows. Just goes to show, there can be two sides to any story I suppose.
Last edited by vanyali; 03-31-2008 at 09:26 AM..
Reason: clarity
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
