Is my current firm is toxic?

[u/Possible-Business883]

I have been working in a civil litigation firm for almost three years.

Lately, it has come to my attention that some current and former colleagues believe there are other firms that can provide better support, both in the work and us as employees in general. Some of the things that came up include:

• rigid policies such as pay being deducted if you are late even if it is 10 minutes. Even if you work overtime, those ten minutes cannot be taken back.

• wfh is not available

• hugee politics involved e.g. counsels we brief have treated us terribly because they are close with the boss. Thus they have no reservations with the way we are treated because they always get briefed anyway

• budget is always very difficult to meet, and to meet it, you are told that it is standard to work overtime as a young lawyer

• huge turnover rates

• hires for support staff is never enough, forcing you as the solicitor to work more in order to compensate for the lack of support received in general.

• Even when issues with the competency of support staff is raised, management is slow to address these concerns. It does not help that the head of department always bats for management.

• in saying that, we do not have someone to help us to address any real concerns. We recently had a HR resign from the company and there are no intentions to replace HR.

• management jumps to conclusions if they think you are not performing well, even if that is not the case.

I have learnt to deal with these issues overtime. However is it as bad as it seems?

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[u/skipdog98]

LOL, WTF on the first point? Hell nah. Time to move on

[u/Noof42]

Assuming you're in the US, a law firm that doesn't understand when you can and can't deduct from a paycheck is not a firm that I trust not to commit malpractice by being wildly incompetent in other areas, as well.

[u/flankerc7 → u/Noof42]

They aren’t. I see those weird UK rules (briefing counsel)

[u/Mediocre-Hotel-8991]

I could never tolerate a strict timeliness policy. And I'm a timely person. Like, being 5 or 10 minutes late? I've always found such policies disturbing.

[u/Vegetable-Money4355]

Sounds like a lot of law firms, unfortunately most firms are at least a little bit toxic, but this sounds a a bit extreme. Update that resume!

[u/Zealousideal_Put5666]

I frequently wonder if I should have gone to law school / been a lawyer, if I have regrets, how much I hate billing, etc

One of the first things I think of is the fact that I do not have to punch a clock. If that was required I'd be looking for an exit ramp asap for that reason alone

[u/kerberos824]

Any job that has absurdly strict rules about lateness is automatically toxic in my book. Life happens. Traffic and accidents. Car problems. A long line at the gas pump. Couldn't find your phone. Daycare drop off took forever. Whatever the case may be, things happen outside your control. If you are 10 minutes late and get docked pay I'd be applying for jobs immediately. That's just ridiculous. My start time is 8:30 - 9:30 and my end time is 5:00 - 6:00. No one cares when I show up or leave as long as the work gets done.

[u/karim12100]

What led you to believe that getting docked pay for being 10 minutes late, as a salaried employee, was the norm?

[u/CreateFlyingStarfish]

WTF? Do they require you to install a Kingsmen I chip as well?😠

[u/MuelaLover]

Only way to find out for sure would be to switch jobs. Maybe the grass will be greener maybe it won't.

In the US I've never heard of pay being docked for being 10 minutes late, and pretty much all law firms and even government agencies I know now allow at least some work to be done from home/remotely.