Abschiedsmail aus Großkanzlei
am 07.05.2008 von Jurabilis
From: [NAME gelöscht]
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 10:14 AM
To: [VERTEILER gelöscht]
Subject: My departure
The circumstances surrounding my departure from [NAME DER KANZLEI] have been deeply disappointing. It is one thing to ignore an email sent as a colleague is waiting to have her uterus scraped after a miscarriage, but it is wholly another level of heartlessness to lay her off six days after that. [PARTNER X] is the only one who expressed any sympathy after my miscarriage, and I am grateful to him for that.
A business is a business, but it takes very little to convey some level of humanity to carry out even the most difficult business decisions. We are human beings first before we are partners or associates. Had you simply explained that the department is unable to sustain the number of associates in the office, I would have completely understood. Had you explained that the office had been directed to reduce the number of associates and I was chosen because of my high billable rate and low billable hours, I would have appreciated such directness, even though the consequences of blindly raising billable rates to an unsustainable degree is plainly predictable. What I do not understand is the …
Entlohnungsgefüge unter Druck
Jurabilis / [... T]he most recent round of associate pay hikes has edged senior associates ever closer to junior partner pay rates. In fact, in some cases, senior associates can come out ahead of partners -- particularly if the firm has a nonequity tier. H…
Hourly Billing Rates Continue to Rise
Jurabilis / Its a good time to be a lawyer. Billing rates for law firm attorneys jumped last year, with partners and associates raking in more dollars per hour than ever before. And at least one partner now charges $1,000, the first four-figure hourly rate re…
Berlin: Auch Lovells schließt die Pforten
Jurabilis / Nach Clifford Chance nun also auch Lovells, wie The Lawyer meldet:Lovells is taking an axe to its entire Berlin office following a radical review by the firms management. The closure of the office, which is subject to approval by the partnership,…
Wetterwarnung
Jurabilis / Its raining this evening. It never rains. I sent an e-mail to the associates telling them the firm advises them not to go outside in weather like this, and they should instead plan on staying in the office overnight. The last thing we need is someon…
Linklaters: Associate-Verschwörung?
Jurabilis / Linklaters has fired three associates from its Portugal office after discovering their plans to leave the firm and set up the Lisbon office of a major competitor. The document, called Project Iberia, was found saved on the desktop of one of Lin…
Kommt das Ende der billable hour bald?
Jurabilis / Charging by the houror in six-minute blockswas originally meant to improve transparency. The problem, says Hugh Totten, a member with Valorem (latin for value), a new Chicago-based law firm that offers clients contingency fees (payable o…
Law Firms: The Shortest Hours
Jurabilis / This is a ranking of the shortest hours worked by midlevel associates. Associates at the #1 firm, Chapman and Cutler, averaged 49 hours worked (39.1 billed) per week. Associates at #161, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, worked on average 71.1 (an…
Billing-Studie
Jurabilis / - Discounting is common practice. 76% of all firms discount their fees versus published rates or rates they might have mentioned in an initial client conversation - with the average discount amounting to 9.9%. - Larger firms are more likely to d…
» Above the Law - A Legal Tabloid - News, Gossip, and Colorful Commentary on Law Firms and the Legal Profession - Breaking: A Dramatic Farewell Email(And proof of Paul Hastings layoffs.)
Above the Law, a legal tabloid,covers the legal profession's most colorful personalities and powerful institutions. It offers legal news and gossip about top law firms, Biglaw, profits per partner, associate salaries, law schools, and colorful a…
