More news about Alverson's hourly attorneys

It looks like the partners had a lunch meeting with the Alverson, Taylor, Mortensen & Sanders associates to clear up any confusion about their new hourly status, but it didn't do much to improve the mood of associates at the firm. Another e-mail from an associate:

"We were told that we would have 10 days of paid vacation. What they really meant is the firm won't subtract from our 'hourly' paychecks for holidays when the firm is closed. However, if you take a week's vacation for the holidays, you just won't get paid for that week."

"In reality, as long as we never take vacation and always bill consistently 8 hrs a day, we'll get the same amount. But get sick, injured, have a death in the family, or have your firm partner give you less work and your paycheck gets docked. Chock one up for the bosses. They found a way to lean harder on their attorneys and pretty much ensure the firm pays less in 'salary' to the associates."

"Add in the fact the firm cuts billable hours off of the timesheets ofnew associates
when a project 'takes too long' and you have a Draconian system. Essentially, the firm can demand 80 billable hours a week, yet slash billable hours off that total at the partner's whim."

"Here's another thing we do not get for being hourly: overtime. They are still requiring 2,000 billable hours a year, broken down into 40 billable hours required a week. But if we bill 50 hours a week or 60 hours a week, we don't get time and a half. We still only get paid at our hourly rate times hours worked. I wonder how long it takes to make a lateral transfer."

Hourly Rate Attorneys?

So I was working on posting a list of the billable requirements of local firms and we heard a rumor that the law firm/perennial sweatshop of Alverson, Taylor, Mortensen & Sanders has moved its attorneys off of salary and onto hourly pay.

According to an associate at the firm, the attorneys were called into a meeting yesterday and told the firm would now pay associates at an hourly rate.

The associate's e-mail said:

"Only four associates met the 2,000 billable hours requirement in 2007, so the
partners decided to shake things up. As an 'incentive,' we have to make 80 billable hours every two weeks or we get a smaller paycheck. People are pissed and a lot of resumes are going out the door."

Interesting. Such a change in salary policy brings up a number of questions:

• Does this mean hourly wage associates will get overtime if they work more than 80 billable hours in two weeks?


• Will the firm change the tax status of their attorneys to 1099 employees?


• And, if they don't, is it legal to base bi-weekly compensation on hours worked/billed and still claim the attorneys are salaried employees?


• Will the firm let their next crop of bright-eyed UNLV graduates know that they will be coming in as hourly employees?

Anyone practicing employment law out there have an answer? Please let me know (nevadalegal@gmail.com). I'll keep you all updated on the Alverson hourly pay developments as I hear about them.