I left the Firm on good terms, but this is one of the most dysfunctional companies I've ever worked for. Below are just a few examples of why:
- There is absolutely zero onboarding or training. I was thrown into my department, having to figure out everything for myself. My manager and co-workers were in other states, and I was a one person department in my city. There was no one physically in my office that I could turn to in order to ensure I was doing things correctly, and my team would not always pick up the phone when I called for help, leaving me to learn my entire job through trial and error. Nobody went over anything in my local office, like office services or document processing, which were departments I came to utilize frequently. Nobody went over the key attorneys in my practice field and the key contacts and areas within my department. Nobody even went over a simple legal baseline with me to ensure that I knew terminology or how the legal system worked, which I was expecting since this was my very first job in law. The learning curve was significantly longer for me than it has ever been at any of my previous jobs due to the lack of onboarding and training. I felt during my entire employment at the firm that I was never set up for success and it was incredibly frustrating and did not allow me to fully contribute my skills to the firm.
- There is no process and procedure. In my department, it was a free for all trying to get things accomplished and doing simple tasks like getting a proposal drafted was chaos. Coordinators frequently end up doing manager level work and not being compensated for it. Managers are so overloaded with the amount of practice areas that they have that they don't have enough bandwidth to assist their team and frequently snap when you ask for help. The amount of last minute projects and requests from attorneys was astounding and our department would refuse to set boundaries and stand up to the attorneys despite having policies that contradict that.
- There is no career or professional development for staff. I asked if I could join a professional association that several people I knew in the same department at other law firms were a member of so we could network and drum up new business. However, I was told that I had to pay for it out of my own pocket and they only cover attorney professional development costs. There is also no clear path for promotion, and several people within my department have been at the same level for 5-10+ years with no determination as to when or if they will get promoted.
- There is no culture. In my office, everyone kept to themselves and no one talked to each other unless you needed something. The firm has had so many acquisitions and mergers that there is no defined cultures because there are too many cultures blended into one. If you bothered an attorney, there were some screamers at this firm that would snap at you if you disturbed them. Most of the attorneys with the exception of a couple are nightmares to work with. They think they are God's gift to the earth and you should treat them as such. There is definitely a divide between attorneys and staff and you will be treated like servants rather than a teammate if you are a staff member at this firm.
- The health benefits are VERY expensive. They only have high deductible plans to choose from ($1,000, $1,500 or $3,000 deductibles) so make sure that you have at least $5,000 in your savings in case something catastrophic happens to you.
If you are looking to make a contribution and be noticed at this firm, then run the other way because here, you are just a number and won't matter.
