While sifting through the WWL mailbag, we came across the following email:
Dear WWL -
There was a litigation partner working for us who moved to another smaller firm. He took his Legal Secretary with him. We told her not to go, as she'd only worked with him a few months and hadn't seen his tirades as of yet. Thus, she took his offer to go to the firm with him.
A few weeks or a month or so working with him, she was getting treated like crap, he was throwing tantrums, and she walked out. He asked her to come back, apologizing and stating that he'd mend his ways, etc. She went back, only to be treated worse. She walked out again and he bribed her with money not to say anything to anyone about his treatment of her or his temper, tantrums, etc. Actually his girlfriend who is another lawyer made the money offer and negotiated the bribe.
I wonder how often this happens. I've heard of attorneys throwing things at their staff, having hissy fits, and being 5 year olds. I'm sure people have stories.
How about it, commenters - Do you have a tyrannical boss? We've covered the exploits of certain ego-heavy attorneys in the past, but we're always interested in new gossip. Let's hear the latest.
(Thanks, Anonymous!)
Happens all the time. I'm a paralegal who's been around a while and nothing surprises me anymore. Even though I've been in my field for 20+ years I've been treated like crap by lawyers fresh out of law school. I've had papers thrown at me and insults left and right.
ReplyDeleteI can't stop laughing. I know there are associates, and even some partners, all over this valley who have so much to say about the miscellaneous psychos and dickfaces running unchecked through law offices big and small. Not one has the courage in this slow economy to risk IP-tracing.
ReplyDeleteHa ha. Suffer ye' timid little creatures. Grind out those billables. Shut your door and sob quietly. How'd that JD work out for you, eh? HVAC certification looking more attractive? Should have been a fireman, eh?
Ha ha ha. Oh look, there's a partner bearing down on your office right now! Quick, close E! News on the browser and flop up Westlaw. Bale that cotton!
And you guys call me crazy?
ReplyDelete11:26 is right, though.
11:26 is just a bitter paralegal ... sorry, you should have gone to law school instead of University of Phoenix.
ReplyDeleteThis is a pretty stupid topic. I've worked in other fields outside the legal community and anywhere you go you will find more than a few type A, micro-managing, asshole bosses.
Sorry to break the news, but this is not unique to the legal profession.
11:48 does bring up an interesting point. I worked a few jobs in various fields before answering the calling to the Law. In each job, except one, there was at least one nutjob. The one place where there was no drama at all was a small specialty engineering consulting shop that was 100% engineer guys and one very attractive blond secretary with the most charming southern drawl.
ReplyDeleteWe all wore white shirts and ties, ate steak and such at lunch and enjoyed a little fishin' and huntin' on the weekends.
A wonderful time. When I announced I was going to lawschool they laughed at my expense and then bonused me generously on the way out. Damn, WTF was I thinking? Is my life any better now?
Anyway, 11:48 has a point.
Sometimes it's not the "boss" that's the problem, it's the boss' entrenched secretary-from-hell that can "do no wrong" in the boss' eye. You know the one, the "secretary" with the big-sounding title.
ReplyDeleteShe treats clerks, and other staff like absolute crap with impunity. She's even been known to sabotage work (or outright lie about what she told someone) to make others look bad. She especially resents anyone with a law degree, and they get get the worst of it. Guess it's because she'll never go past secretary. The story never changes no matter despite the turnover in the office.
Her contempt for legal professionals is not limited to interoffice abuses. When attorneys call the office, they get the sh*t end of the stick too - even worse if the attorney's assistant calls. Not even a modicum of "professional courtesy." I took a call once and had to refer the caller to the secretary. The caller, huffing under their breath gruffs, "oh great, not her." When asked by another caller, "how do you stand her," all I could do was bite my tongue. Others would just say, "on no, nevermind, I don't want to talk to her." And who can blame them, They are called every name in the book as soon as the secretary hits the dump button on the phone. God, I wish that just one day that button would fail. HA!
Why? What makes a person so confident in their job that they can have no interpersonal skills whatsoever? Because she's been there 15+ years.
I ain't mentioning names, but yea... y'all know who I'm taking about.
@12:08 p.m.
ReplyDeleteDo you work upstairs at ATMS?
The secretaries (who do nothing) rule the roost there.
Oh wait, sorry, the secretaries at ATMS actually do some things...
ReplyDeleteThey tell you it's not their job.
So, one of Vegas's favorite gold-club swinging prick bosses seems to be hiring for a managing attorney. I saw on craigslist that Kutner is looking for a managing attorney. Now, the ad just says PI firm with no name. But last week, it was Kutner.
ReplyDeleteFor the magic number of $80-85k, you can work in his office. I'll never forget that article that detailed his crazy office behavior. Anyone have any info on this job opportunity? Does he want more time to concentrate on his PI trial practice?
Yeah, I have heard Kutner is a piece of work. Has it been 20 associates in 2 years? Something like that.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the man makes the money, so he must be doing something right. Dale Carnegie was wrong: you can make plenty of dough while making enemies and alienating people.
What ATMS group?
ReplyDelete11:26 - your comment suggests that your personality is just as enjoyable as the "psychos" and "dickfaces."
ReplyDelete@4:38 --
ReplyDeletePick anyone of the groups upstairs [other than Bruce or Eric] and you'll find a unit manager that's basically worthless. They spend more time telling you it's not their job or you can't do this or that or whatever....than doing their damn job!
Speaking of attorney misconduct :
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what is happening with Ed Miley. He was charged but I don't see anything on it or a court date. Who's his attorney? What judge has it? Come on, this is interesting stuff.... who is in the know?
I heard Ed checked himself into rehab in AZ. Don't know if it was part of a negotiated deal or what.
ReplyDeleteRandy (Edward) Miley is in rehab in California
ReplyDeleteWatch, first comes rehab then back with the old wife! She has lived through this before... and I'm sure she will take him back again. Case will be dropped against him because he HAS BEEN SAVED!!!! What a bunch of crap. He has been like this for years.
ReplyDeleteHow about the tyrannical boss who is sleeping with the "office manager" and all you do is your f'n job, but somehow you're the root of all evil for not wanting any involvement and want to keep all knowledge of their affair to nil. Ohh, and even better, somehow when one of the attorney's family members finds out about it, it's your fault even though you've never said a word to anyone about it.
ReplyDeleteBeing called names by the mistress in the office, a boss who will permit that crap for a piece of a$$ - then those pieces of work were *surprised* when I resigned.
9:12 Was this firm in LV or Reno???? I KNOW the feeling ohhhh so well. I worked in a situation very similar to yours, except, the wondering if the wife found out about the "affair" is still unknown-I left there and so did another "employee" as we were in the same situation as you-the office manager/mistress was NEVER WRONG and clearly had gotten what she wanted. Funny to see when they list an ad for a job opening the verbiage that is used.
ReplyDelete(very late to this party)
ReplyDeleteI'm a Legal Secretary and have had a few run-ins with psycho bosses. In my current position, I have awesome attorneys but was subjected to a paralegal from hell. I'm convinced she was bipolar. We'd be in staff meetings and she'd be super sweet and portioning out work properly, then just hours later, would be in front of my desk, screaming at me, red in the face, spittle foaming at the corners of her mouth and spraying everywhere, because I hadn't come over to her and offered to take any of HER work. None of which I could take, because in my home state, you can't touch certain documents unless you're a certified paralegal. She threatened to punch me in the face, twice. I warned her that I'm a self defense instructor and she really didn't want to do that. She would wait until the other LS were at lunch or had gone home, and my attorneys were not in earshot. Offenses were brought to HR, she was 'counseled', behaviour continued. I lucked out - the paralegal manager overheard one of her tirades and intervened. The situation escalated and the paralegal was screaming obscenities at both of us. She was fired for cause the next day.