I don’t know if it’s just my firm or if I’m already an out-of-touch partner, but the posts in this sub about associates worked to the bone are so different from what I experience in my day-to-day firm life. Most associates are protective of their schedules and regularly turn down work, even if they’re working below or just at their hours expectation. MANY associates don’t bill their required annual hours. The firm only gets involved if it’s shockingly low (like half) or there is a significant shortfall (over 10%) for multiple years. Associates also fight the firm for billable credit for things like business development or mentoring. In my group, partners have higher hours than associates while also balancing all of the truly non-billable stuff that comes with partnership. If a client needs something I don’t have the ability to say no, even if I’m dealing with a hellish travel schedule, presenting a webinar, trying to finish an article for Bloomberg, etc.

Associates also complain if they feel they’re working too much and can get partners in trouble. I had an associate who crapped on me in an exit interview because they didn’t like how much they had to work on a TRIAL where they were third chair and I was second. The comment bugged me and I looked back to see I was billing significantly more time than them; they worked around 200/month at the peak. Recently, another partner was dealing with unfortunately clustered court deadlines and because no associates would agree to help, they had to rely more heavily on the one associate already assigned. They told the associate they were working on staffing and this would be a short-term push, but the associate went over their head to complain about working a weekend and the partner was told to “back off” so the associate wouldn’t quit. This partner was regularly sending 3am emails and barely keeping their head above water.

What’s more troubling is the fundamental lack of ownership. Very few associates actually dive into their work and think proactively. They blow deadlines all the time. It’s like pulling teeth to keep an assignment moving. Some meet their deadlines but give totally half-baked work. They may not read the instructions and answer the wrong question, or their legal analysis begs more questions than it answers, or if I pull up their sources I see they missed something critical to the assignment. Feedback often isn’t implemented. I’ve been burned many times by investing heavily in training someone only to see minimal if any changes to their work product. At this point I usually cut bait. This isn’t all associates—some are rock stars, and the angels sing when they agree to do work because then I can trust them and relax for a moment. But they are the minority, maybe 1 or 2 out of 10. I’m sure I could be a more effective manager and inspire better work from the non-star associates if that was all I did. But I’m exhausted, damnit, and at some point I need to spend time with my kids.

I don’t know what I’m missing here. Am I blind to the associate struggle? To me they feel overcompensated and entitled and frankly a waste of client money. I’d torch the law firm hiring model if I could. But for now I’m too tired.