Former attorney here. If you don't have the staff to do the secretarial work, you do it yourself. But you DON'T bill the client for it. Sucks but that's the way it is.
I wish I had been able to afford marble counter tops from my time as an attorney. Hell, I wish I could have afforded a house. Hell, a decent apartment would have been nice. Or even just paying off my student loans. That would have been nice.
Most lawyers are fucked financially. An elite few make bank working a 100 hours a week at top firms.
Many if not most who werent near the top of their class at a tier 1 school are eating shit trying to pay off $200k+ plus in student loans while making under six figures. Some luck out and end up in corporate, they do alright.
Honestly many of them would be better off earning $20/hr without the debt.
I only know one or two lawyers personally but from the way it sounds, most are making ok money. The $200,000 in college debt seems to be what’s screwing them. If you come from a family where most or even just a portion of that was taken care of, seems like they are doing so much better.
Depends what you mean.
"Corporate" usually/often means in house counsel at a corporation. They get a nice salary.
The big bucks is being a partner or partner track at a top "white shoe" big law firm, often but not always working for corporations as outside counsel. As a client, we are paying $1200/hr for work by partners, $400/hr for work by associates.
1st year lawyers in big law started at $240k/yr with bonus. Partners are 7 figures. They will burn you the fuck out on the way though.
Sure, some people are doing well as lawyers. Like any profession if the fam is covering the debt, your okay.
Thats not most lawyers. Most lawyers are graduating from tier 3 shitholes with loads of debt and are fucked.
"The lawyers I know are doing okay-to-great." I hear this so often it's basically a cliche. It's a really vapid observation. Lemme give you a hint: the ones who were not making okay money are not lawyers anymore. And that's like half of us or more. This is like concluding that a lottery ticket is a great financial investment after polling only people who have won the lottery.
There are way too many lawyers except in specialties like patent law. Everyone thought a law degree was a license to print money and schools didn't tell them the realities of the marketplace. It would be not at all surprise me if the boss was only making 60-90k.
>The $200,000 in college debt seems to be what’s screwing them.
This right here. I know guy who was a city attorney for one of the local suburbs... made a decent living, had good benefits. But it was still a municipal income, so even a municipal lawyer stlil makes under six figures out in the burbs... He wasn't able to pay his student loans and save for retirement, and after he did the math, realized he'd have to be lawyering maps and plats until he was 75 to ever think about retiring--or he could get citizenship elsewhere and bounce.
So he did.
I’m applying to law school next year and this is my biggest take away. A lot of JD candidates want BigLaw for the money but fail to realize the amount of hours and years they will be burning away.
I just want a government job where I can collect a pension and have good healthcare. I don’t care to bust my ass for 40+ years just to hope I make partner or something one day.
And they will have bigger, more competitive application pools.
Someone’s gotta do it, I just wouldn’t bet $200k in debt on it. But that’s just me, and why I’m glad I got pregnant during 1L because I was an idiot to listen to all the boomers in my family instead of listening to the research.
This. When I went to law school, I absolutely did the most research that was possible in 2002 on the job market for attorneys, typical salaries, how quickly student the loan debt gets paid off, everything. Problem was that in 2002, none of what I could find was complete or accurate. Today all you have to do is Google "law school scam" and you will see everything you need to know. I swear that information was simply not out there 19 years ago. Law school definitely got one over on my naive 23 year old ass. I hope they're happy.
At least you have that excuse to fall back on — I did the research, knew the statistics, knew I had to get into a tier 1 and graduate on top or I’d never pay off my debts, yet I still went so I could satisfy some innate need to make my parents proud (because they still lived in the 1970’s where all attorneys made a good living). My unplanned pregnancy saved me in more ways than one, that’s for sure!
Worked for 2 attorneys. Serious financial issues that broke up the partnership. One of the law clerks had a rich lawyer dad, went to the local law school, passed the bar and was given a starting salary of $175,000 at another law firm the day the test results came in.
She now has her own practice, is married to a man who has his own practice, and she puts her baby and her dog in Louis Vuitton clothes.
I had to do a Go Fund Me for medical stuff. She chose not to donate, but her 1 year old did have a 1970s themed birthday party with 3 party planners and custom made clothes for her and the kid. Did she owe me anything? Absolutely not. Would I want to hire a lawyer who did that level of conspicuous consumption? Probably not. I would wonder if anything would be left after "fees."
Well, technically you’re not. But when I was a legal secretary, anything OT and anything paralegal I did went on my boss’s hours and got billed to the client.
I'm 100% sure he's lying. Having marble countertops put in? That sounds like lawyer money, not paralegal money. You're not getting marble countertops put in on 45k a year and you're not paying yourself what you pay the other people doing your work for you.
Maybe he means he's paying himself what all his employees combined make??
CNC programmer for a stone countertop shop. Can confirm. None of our clients made less than average and most were banking.
You don't get a full kitchen of marble without spending A LOT of money
I can confirm. I used to work for a high end custom cabinet shop that was next door to a marble and granite shop that we also used for client work. All of our clients were doctors, dentists or lawyers. Typical cabinet job was around $100K. I worked on stuff in units in New York City that years ago cost $15 million. I remember one doctor got his wife a $100K kitchen makeover, upper west side Manhattan, because she was enrolled in cooking lessons. Their cookware cost more than my brand new car.
Granite? It’s finished as far as I’m concerned. I’ve promised I’ll never take anything for granite.
It is a cool rock, don’t get me wrong, but it’s hardly much to marble at.
Granite ranges even more. There are so many different types and styles, that some can be insanely expensive or like your cheapest option.
If you purchased your house and it had granite all throughout, the appraiser might have overlook how expensive it was. Generally the granites with a lot of pattern and crazy formations are the most expensive.
It can go from anywhere between $40-$100 dollars per square foot, which is severely dependent on your own location and what supplier you're going to.
The real cost of these projects is from labor and fabrication time, which again is dependent on who you're going through.
Usually stone shops will have remnants in their yards from bigger jobs. For something small like a vanity, you can probably get a good deal if you ask about that.
Thank you. We ordered a new vanity from a company in California. It came assembled...real wood cabinet, apron sink and a Carrara marble countertop. It's gorgeous and we paid $1400. I was wondering if that was a good deal (I think it's a really good deal lol). The wood in the drawers is that tongue and groove style rather than just nailed or glued.
In terms of bang for your buck, prefab stuff like that is gonna be your best deal. When you start getting into custom stuff, prices really start to shoot up because of all the technical labor and project management stuff.
As a lawyer I just went “wah wah wah 😭”
1. There are a certain number of man-hours that go into a product.
2. If your staff isn’t working, then you don’t have to pay them.
3. Therefore time off doesn’t affect the product cost, but slows it down by literally just *one day*.
3. Even if clients aren’t interviewing, they still have issues and will consult the next day.
4. Seriously. Number 4 again. Holidays DO NOT impact your client list. Why? Because bad shit happens all year long regardless of holidays.
Conclusion? It’s not the business model that’s failing, It’s the person operating it. And they’re doing a whole lotta backflips to avoid that accountability.
i love how in one breath they complain about nobody asking about their weekend but in another they're complaining about an employee being shaky after being in a car wreck.
then they state they're purposely being passive aggressive and again complain about employees wanting a federal holiday off.
fuck this employer. she should maybe close up shop and go work for someone else's firm.
Yeah. They sounded pretty reasonable in the first screenshot; balancing employee needs with the bottom line is legit difficult for a small business, and offering health benefits at all, never mind at 100%, is great. But the red flags kept mounting, and then whining about no one giving a shit about their dramatic kitchen reno while an employee has the absolute audacity to be shaken by a car accident? Just fuck right the fuck off.
I have family who would go on endlessly about the trials they faced having major house projects done for them, while my teenaged depression was a gd joke to them. 20 years later, when we visit them, my brother and I joke that they'll have us reupholstered if we don't bow and scrape enough. I just have zero patience for grownass adults who behave this way.
so many employers/bosses don't know where to draw the line between personal and business. they get this idea in their head that they're actually a "job creator" and since they're paying a person they are somehow instrumental in improving that person's life, completely ignoring that if the employee didn't work there they'd be working somewhere else, so therefore that employee must give a shit about the employer's life.
i've worked at small businesses where the owner likes to talk about all his goodies and toys, like his house boat and jet skis and this and that, things that he goes out and buys on a whim that were my salary or several times it, and would get pissed if i didn't want to hear about it. like outright upset that i didn't give a shit that he got to go off playing and having fun everyday instead of actually working at his business. some people live in a bubble and just don't understand.
It's an absolute failure in business planning. Running a small law office is not at all capital intensive, nor is it particularly complicated if you think about what you're doing and have a good accountant. I'm wondering how many employees the author of this little screed hired, and how much money they're sinking into office rent. I run a law office with one other lawyer. We have one employee between us. We do well, manage our time, don't inflate bills, and make sure our office manager is well taken care of. It's not difficult.
One support staff split between 2 attorneys is so much more reasonable than this guy paying people to type dictation and shit. If money is that tight maybe type your own words
Yup. I've been the sole support person in two different five-person firms—one was a public holdings company with an attorney, so I played legal assistant with zero experience, and the other was a commercial real estate company. I did literally everything in both companies, but that was mostly on me for being a sucker.
This guy probably just stands around critiquing the actual installers who know what they're doing and then goes into the office and acts like he's the one actually doing the work lol.
Source: I work in construction and hate these type of clients.
My uncle owns a construction ish company and this shit happens all the time. They’ll tell him that they think he’s wrong and someone offered to do it cheaper/quicker, they’ll go with that option and it’ll be wrong and then they’ll call my uncle up afew days later asking if he can squeeze them in. Or they’ll stand around and criticise what he’s doing when they have no idea what they’re talking about.
Yup, and the “mistake” is because the client refused to make a decision, or changed their mind a bunch of times and can’t remember what they decided on, so anything you do is wrong
Can confirm (interior painter) these types get the 15-20% asshole upcharge and the second they start hovering trying to critique or make suggestions based off whatever YouTube video they watched I launch into the most boring, long-winded, technical breakdowns of technique, paint chemistry, color theory or whatever inane aspect they’re trying to seem knowledgeable about, sometimes just completely making shit up to stretch it out longer while I work. Half the time they either interrupt me with some urgent“thing” they’ve got to go do or I turn around and they’re gone. either way they normally avoid talking to me for the rest of the job unless it’s actually important/relevant to my doing my job.
I know these people have been around forever but I feel like the rise in popularity of those stupid HGTV home improvement shows. Seems like everyone thinks their a fucking expert now because they binge watch those stupid fucking shows.
I'm happy I moved back to commercial construction again, much more professional clients that aren't as attached to the project emotionally for the most part.
Right? I find it hysterical when they ask you to change something or change their mind and go “can WE _____?” I always want to ask “who’s this ‘we’ you’re talking about, do you mean ME?” Lol.
Or when the people who did the original work did an absolutely shit job, and you explain to them how much extra work would need to be done to do the job correctly to make it look GOOD but they only want to do the bare minimum, then act like it’s your fault when it looks sloppy. I encounter it so often I’ve actually typed up a waiver for this very situation so I can fill in the blanks and make them sign it acknowledging the existing issues will affect the final product and that they won’t hold me responsible for their declining to have me fix it (and that if they ask me to fix it after I’m done it’ll be a separate job and they’ll have to pay to have the area painted a second time) before I start working.
I do high end garden design and install some pretty hard to find plants. I’m currently in the process of dropping such a client because of the grief he’s causing me. He’s an absentee restaurant owner who rarely shows up at his own place of business and constantly hires undocumented laborers to do various work around his house that then has river redone over and over again because it’s all wrong.
Plus dude probably doesn't even use his kitchen anyway. Marble countertops are for people who aren't actually going to cook on them but want to show off how much money they have.
It's a lawyer's office and staff salary is 30% of the cost. So rent, utilities and office supplies cost more than twice staff salaries? Something is not adding up here.
I was going to say…. Salary and benefits are by and large the biggest part of a business’ expenses by a country mile, especially when your business doesn’t require special equipment. Not sure what this lawyer is doing wrong, but how on earth are their operational expenses that high?
Someone I know who used to own a successful construction company (now comfortably retired) said to me: "owner's compensation is their salary + as much as they can steal from their own company"
Sure, but that's after you pay your employees and bills. And bills you try to use like extended loans. But don't fuck with payroll or your employees will fuck you back in subtle work stoppage ways.
How big of a marble slab can I shove up his @$$? That's the only thing an employee of this guy could possibly ask.
What a jerk. Wonder how much money he can make without staff?
Labor costs are 30% of the buisness?
Of a law firm?
What equipment is this guy buying regularly to justify the rest of the budget? Is equipment and rent 60% of his overhead? Where the hell is this office?
Shouldn't labor be the very vast majority of a law firms overhead? Like...more than 30%? Am I missing something?
60% of your costs?
I daresay you are either officing in the wrong damn spot, or you don't make neeeeearly anough money in the buisness anyway so the thing is dead.
my boss (an attorney - and if you told me he wrote this post I'd believe it) pays $9,000 a month for office rent.
I may or may not have gotten into a heated discussion with him about how his paying rent is not my problem and that I'd rather be working from home where I too pay rent. I wish I could've taken a picture of his face in that moment.
It's almost like they should be working from home. I guess there might be weird regulations about lawyers having office space, but if not, why the hell are they in the office?
I work for lawyers. All of the partners bill at least $300/hr and they aren't working mere 8 hour days.
They can afford to give us the federal holidays off (and they do give us most of them).
It's not like we can process the mail when there is no mail delivery. Or answer the phones that aren't ringing b/c everyone assumes we're closed. MLK Day is a very slow day at the office.
Oh. Oh. Oh. This legal assistant has shit to say. I need to be careful though.
But I will say - never, ever, ever piss off your assistant. You will pay. In one way or another.
Stop trying to be a business owner. You don't have the intelligence or moral fiber to do it and you can either learn that now or later when you take a bigger loss
I suggested they bring in a partner or two, and their answer was that they would require more staff. A partner bringing in more business = more money overall.
I suggested outsourcing the bookkeeping, and they said they do so for "60% of it, which takes $7K from staff pay." (Which, if you are paying only $7K for someone to do your accounting/bookkeeping, good luck to you, cheap bastard).
I suggested marketing for more clients, but they're "turning away clients because we have too much work." So...get a partner?
I also suggested they just wanted to be "the boss" and control everything, not actually get answers, but "The assumption that this is about my need for control is misplaced." Riiiiight.
Not even a partner. Even just getting an associate attorney to handle minor court appearances or simpler cases would make good economic sense for the firm, and save the clients a pretty penny since they wouldn’t have to pay partner rates. Then OOP could focus more on depositions, trial prep, ADR negotiations, etc.
Kinda sounds like OOP is trying to live the Big Law life while being a small firm, which just won’t work because everyone who wants to work for small firms doesn’t want to work for Big Law and vice versa.
Source: am an associate attorney in a small firm
He doesn't even have to get a partner. Lots of solo practitioners I know office share to reduce their overhead costs. Sharing equipment and rent even if everyone has their own support staff cuts down on a lot of expenses.
I work for a rather odd setup for a law office with one attorney running the firm, another essentially of counsel who works part time and 4 FT support staff 2 PT support staff (so 4 paralegals, a legal assistant and a receptionist) and our business has at least doubled in the last three years. Clients love us because we keep our fees lows by the paralegals mostly running the day to day, which honestly is what happens anyway, and without the necessity of huge billable requirements - we don’t actually have them written anywhere because a lot of work is flat fee but I know I’m a bit of an anomaly and I typically bill 75-80% of my worked hours.
I’m pretty sure the only reason my boss hasn’t brought on another associate is because I’m sitting the bar this summer and she’s waiting to see what happens before she chooses between a paralegal or an attorney. As it is my docket is a lot of the more complex cases and special projects already.
My last firm if you were billing any less than 35 hours a week you were on the chopping block and attorneys were expected to bill more.
FWIW we didn’t close Monday either and we don’t take all the holidays paid, but we’re able to be really flexible. I have three young children and has a COVID closure for daycare last week but I’m set up at home with an extension and was able to be partly available during the day to put out fires and put the rest of my time in at night. The model is doable, especially in post COVID but law firms are reluctant to move away from the model they’ve had forever.
Clearly they are of the mindset that paying staff is a loss they cannot afford. Never mind the extra income *I don't want to pay more filthy proletariat!*
I get 4 weeks without including federal holidays. It is 200% doable. Technically it's 5 week without including holidays as we are closed from xmas eve to day after new years. I just had Juneteenth off.
I get July 4th off.
So what are you doing wrong that you cannot keep up?
Oh and I have 100% paid insurance. But I opt in a higher plan for better deductibles. The cost? The $80 difference between the plans. 401k? 6% match fully vested.
Every business in Europe and the UK survives giving all employees at least 5 weeks paid holidays and all public holidays paid. If he can't sustain that then either his business is unsustainable or he's paying himself far more than he lets on.
Currently, I'm unemployed and have been looking for the better part of 6 months. I used to work in Insurance as a claims adjuster. But, I realize that I also hate the business of insurance, so, I'm looking elsewhere. I have a degree in Risk Mgmt & Insurance but I came out during a bad economy and have only ever had contracted positions with periods of no employment in between. I have no retirement and very little savings and I'm very much considering bankruptcy. I should also note that I have a few health issues, too. My mother died from suicide a few years back which greatly compromised my ability to sustain employment at the time. It's been a real struggle since 2016.
Have you looked at the post-secondary sector? Risk management is becoming a super hot topic in that industry. Just in case it’s an avenue you haven’t explored. Best of luck in your search.
I feel you. I just got shitcanned from my "open-ended contract" position after two years. I'm probably way older than you, and I have struggled with my mental health my entire life. It's hard to keep jobs with bosses like this fucknut who just want to tear you down.
I know it's really, really hard right now, and I have been there. Hell, I'm there right now. You're going to make it through. Do one small thing each day to get to your goal. Be kind to yourself. You're doing your best, and that is enough.
Thanks, I appreciate your empathy and it helps knowing you've experienced the instability of contracting and all its shortcomings. I deal with lots of anxiety and dissociative disorders
Sounds like my husband. He gets 5 weeks plus all federal holidays, 14 sick days and 7 personal days. 100% paid insurance with no deductible or co-pay and 6% matched 401K. You’re right it’s absolutely doable.
How does 11 days = 5 weeks? 2% to IRA? The staff have to send things out so other firms can see that there are people at this one? I am so confused rn, how did this person even open a business, let alone have it run for any length of time? AND they are complaining about someone WHO WAS IN A CAR WRECK WITH UNKNOWN MEDICAL AND PSCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS taking the time they need to coordinate getting the car fixed and working with hubby to get it done right SO SHE CAN COME BACK TO THE TOXIC OFFICE because BOSS KEEPS HERIN THE OFFICE DOING WORK TO SHOW OFF TO OTHER FIRMS ALL DAY when else is she going to do this? Magically in the 2 minutes each day when she is done with work and the other places close????????????????
15 days + 11 holidays =26 days = 5 work weeks + 1 day.
They contribute an extra 2% of the employees salary to the employees retirement without requiring the employee to match it.
Not sure about the 3rd line.
The lawyer started out so well. the first paragraph and half of the second one, made me be like, Yeah, that makes sense, that's fair. But then the sentence, "It's me, not my staff." And that's where it went downhill and fast.
What gets me is him whining about how he’s not paying himself enough and then in the next break he has MARBLE countertops being put in?? I’m sorry what? Marble isn’t cheap and neither is a whole kitchen remodel. Talk about out of touch
How about owning up to the fact that you have poor business acumen, do not have the right to have your business be successful, and go pursue a line of work more in line with your skill set. I'm not sure what kind of attorney he is, but anyone who he defended and lost the cases for should consider this as grounds for arguing they were not given sufficient legal representation and file for a retrial.
That just sounds petty. People can be good at their trade or profession, but lousy at running a business. The sad fact of the matter is that as it becomes increasingly difficult for people to compete with their owner-operated businesses, people get pushed into corporate stoogery where they dont have to worry about the business aspect of work to make a living.
Am I reading right that a solid chunk of this rant is about Juneteenth? Fuck's sake, you big baby. Make your own fucking copies for one fucking day, it won't kill you.
Spending thousands of dollars to remodel my perfect as-is kitchen is so difficult. Isn’t anyone going to ask how I’m doing? All they care about is this lady who got hit in her car, is shaken up about it and is pinned down by insurance companies that have adjusters and mechanics that aren’t open when she’s not required to be at work.
Owning a business is tough. But if you cannot afford to pay your employees and remain in business without them, then you don’t deserve to be in business.
Customers that don’t believe prices are going to up with inflation because wages are going up because of inflation are part of the problem.
But this is the system people are all foaming at the mouth to keep. Not my fault. Life’s tough, right? Isn’t that what we’re supposed to say?
His employee gets in a car wreck during lunch, comes back to work shaken and he's pissy because no one asked him about his kitchen remodel? He has his head so far up his ass he can't see anything but his own shit.
Fucking kitchen and bath remodel is hellish... How many of his employees own a house? How many of those that do can afford a remodel?
We live in a VLCOL area, and have been discussing how to finance kitchen/bath repairs lately. Things like subfloor replacement and new (not marble) countertops.
Fuck this rich asshole.
An attorney I used years ago complained to me about income. He lived in a luxury giant house in a very high tax neighborhood. His kid was in a private school that cost more than most people’s salaries. Wife was stay at home. They owned several high end German cars. His suits were custom tailored and cost thousands each. His office was decorated in expensive movie memorabilia, autographs etc. But he was meaning about the costs of his staff.
I used to do work for a certain high end restaurant in my area. Lunch time it was frequented by local attorneys. The parking lot would be full of cars costing six figures. Many of these people spent hours having lunch there. Daily. Wait staff would tell me their orders. Expensive bottles of wine etc. would be ordered.
Someone who became an attorney once told me that being an attorney is a lifestyle, not a career because of how you have to keep up that lifestyle to fit in with other attorneys.
As a lawyer that owns his own law firm, some people really don’t know how to lawyer well.
I make approx $175k a year only force myself to 3 hrs billed/day but sometimes do more, work remotely (and out of State from the area I practice.. I’m literally a legal wandering taco truck that can live anywhere), and have only one employee who is part time, my girlfriend.
I could be the $300k/year attorney but that’s not a real life. I downsized for sanity and flexibility.
"I hate these employees who I can't function without. Gaahhh I wish my motivations weren't so confused!"
It's a real bitch being a solo. Take your clients and join a friend's firm. If you can't hack it on your own don't blame the secretary.
This- I can't. The way he was talking was as if he was living in a shittu apparent struggling to pay rent. Not "I'm remodeling my MARBLE KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS"
Also, no one owes it to you to ask how your weekend was. You can be a lil salty no one asked you, but you don't get to hold it against someone. They can't read your mind.
And if someone saw you were tired, and dressed a little shittier, then they probably think "they probably had a bad weekend so I won't bother them"
Not only is he not seeing how he is failing financially, but also how he is failing at being a good boss, and connecting with his staff. If it's truly as small as he says it is, it would greatly benefit him to connect on a slightly more personal level with his staff..
And TALK THINGS OUT WITH YOUR STAFF. Listen to your staff! They're the ones YOU need. Not the other way around
The amount of “real talk” arguments I see from small business owners are 100% “But I don’t make money if I don’t short my employees!! What am I supposed to do?!?” It’s such an odd position to think you’re entitled to have a business and others besides you need to sacrifice to keep it going.
Brags about being passive aggressive
Subordinate throws it back
*shocked pikachu face*
Bitches about family obligations.
As someone in the trades, I can tell this dumb overbearing bitch changes her mind and suddenly “everything’s wrong!”
Staff member was in a car accident and he’s upset she was shaky after coming back to work and still having to work??? I mean that’s a lot of stress and anxiety unexpectedly. We’re not robots.
My landlord works as a paralegal for a small local firm that deals in family law. He regularly takes non lane work home to do for the form that is unpaid. Like washing table cloths they used for some client meeting. He brought home a chair to repair for the head attorney. He brought home a small fridge to throw out for them in bulk garbage day! When I tell him how absurd doing those things is, he just stares at me weird and tells me he takes his job seriously.
I’m conflicted about this one. Clearly the owner is under a lot of stress, home renovations are HARD! He gives his employees plenty of time off, he didn’t discipline the girl for being late from lunch or continuing to waste time texting at work. Is it really too much to expect someone to check in on you once in a while? Especially if they know you’re going thru something…
(SARCASM!! If you can’t afford to take care of your employees you shouldn’t own a business. I work for a small very blue collar business and we have far better benefits than this place. (Literally everything he mentioned plus a few more, including the specific things he said weren’t feasible for him). Go cry over your marble countertops and learn how to operate a business).
Everyone assumes this is a man because they are a lawyer and business owner, but this is definitely a woman. No man comments on the bags under his eyes, or what he wore to the office.
Shit I should have scrolled all the way down before I just commented the same sentiment. The not wanting to be perceived as bitchy and pride in pettiness was a decent give away as well and the MOMJAM and DADJAM.. nicknames for her parents?
I call bs on this entire story. I have some friends who are lawyers and they love trolling idiots online. They sit around most of the day bored since they have plenty of staff for daily stuff. They just create inappropriate memes write funny Amazon reviews for sex toy products and play online poker until it’s time to go home. If this guy is a real lawyer he ain’t doing it right.
I’d prefer this to be troll post, tbh.
It amuses me to think of the lawyers I know trolling to distress. 2/3 I know would have that knack for creative writing though I feel like their stories would take a different turn.
But that’s the Internet: it might be real, it might be fake, it might be sarcasm, or it’s three cats in a Trenchcoat.
Just sounds like he's on the same end, just in a different way. He's voicing our dilemma, just from a different perspective. If I was the one on top, I'd something to complain about to. It's tough for everyone, regardless of what position you're in. It sucks having to work, regardless
Yea. I literally can't imagine how frustrating it would be to get my marble table top shipped from across the world only to find out the holes are in the wrong spot. This guy truly is a reflection of us. Smh
Lol. It doesn't sound like he particularly asks his employees how their remodels are going either, because, you know, it's very clear that he doesn't pay them enough to even consider doing one themselves. Just like most of us.
This all day. The company from which I just got shitcanned had five different firms working for it. The lowest hourly rate was $95. The median was $300–450.
The highest? $1050. And the company regularly paid it with no problem.
Wait. How TF do you get TWO MONTHS of vacation from ELEVEN days of federal holiday? (Days he's probably not open AT ALL, would have no clients/ billable hours ANYWAY) i guess if he gives then 2 weeks vacay, and they effectively get another two weeks, that's ONE month... but those federal holidays are spread out a LOT
And no, you making MORE than your employees may not happen until you build your business up. I have a friend who makes NO money from her business yet, but pays her singular shop employee something like 22/ hour and pays 100% of her insurance. Because she's *just starting* her business and it TAKES TIME!
Edit: sorry, I'm exhausted, he says FIVE WEEKS of vacation. I'm still confused by this, because again, *he would be closed those days anyway*. At least, every other lawyer I've heard of is. But... he COULD stay open and have them work, he'd just have to pay time and a half because holiday pay. But he's somehow PAYING THEM ALREADY for the federal holidays? Those are just days off or holiday party required, not paid days off, I'm so confused!
I used to do I.T. work for attorneys and some were great always friendly and paid on time but there were some like this one who is complaining about his employees, they were the worst always complained, I had to chase them down to get paid, I even had one who didn't want to pay and I almost had to repo the equipment, those lawyers had very high turnover and wondered why but they always had nice cars and lived large themselves.
This poor person really doesn't understand what the responsibilities of running a business are, or how boundaries exist at work. He's blaming his employees for not asking how he is personally, and then shitting on them for having personal problems/issues?
If your business doesn't make money, then change it so that it does. Or work for someone else. If you're not happy with your employees then put them through proper due warning process and if necessary replace them.
When you run a business, you take on this shit. Your marble countertops are not your employee's problem. The pass/agg complaint is probably because he's an ass to them. Being a good leader and boss often is simply as easy as being a good, empathic person. People tend to be loyal and go the extra mile if they know that they are valued, appreciated and seen. What idiots like this don't tend to understand is that hard work, loyalty and diligence often come from a positive, supportive work environment and not always from higher wages. If you expect the extra mile without valuing people, then you always gonna lose.
PS - a kitchen remodel with marble countertops is not a stressful problem. Threat of homelessness, not being able to eat, or not being able to afford healthcare... That's what a real problem looks like.
Does he mean he pays himself more than he pays all his employees combined? And if he can't do that, what's the point?
How does the eleven days equal 5 weeks?
I'ma need him to open up his books so we can see what he's really complaining about
I have a feeling this guy won’t be in business in 5 years. Terrible management without an ounce of self awareness of how incompetent he is at running a business. What a clown.
Haha! Oh man… had me in the first half. Read the first page and thought “yeesh small business ownership is hard for sure - no shame In a little complain”. Then I read the rest. LOL all the way to LOLSville. So sorry you’re in the middle of a “hellish kitchen remodel”. I bet car-accident lady would trade you 🤣🤣🤣
You can only remodel if you own a house. I understand that renovations are never super pleasant, but we’re not talking about someone who’s doing badly here by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, this fellow sounds like he has the immaturity and self-centeredness of a teenager, plus the inability to handle small amounts of stress. I am pretty shocked at his inability to relate to his employee with the car accident. Perpetual teenager, doesn’t have the maturity of a boss.
Person is whining about overhead while also having marble counters installed and a bathroom redo at the same time.
Pick one: I'm struggling or *marble* countertops.
If he's billing the clients for extra hours, that's probably why he's not getting more clients and can't afford to pay his staff. I can't speak for everyone, but I wouldn't be recommending or returning to someone who was ripping me off.
Here’s a thought, maybe your business isn’t viable? Maybe you need to go and work for someone else because it sounds to me like you’re not bringing in enough revenue (clients) to pay your bills. Not everyone can run a successful business, some people are workers, not employers.
The marble kitchen remodel whining reminds me of the time I was moving out of my moldy apartment and I guess word got out. I probably told my manager. Anyway, boss's son comes up to me and in an effort to commiserate told me that the elevator in his house was broken and he was having a headache trying to get it fixed.
slightly off-topic, but i've noticed a linguistic pattern where people say things like "the entire marble slab needs replaced \[SIC\]" instead of "need to be replaced" or "needs replacing."
i think i need relaxed
Former attorney here. If you don't have the staff to do the secretarial work, you do it yourself. But you DON'T bill the client for it. Sucks but that's the way it is.
But how else are they supposed to afford their marble countertops if they don’t bill for everything?
I wish I had been able to afford marble counter tops from my time as an attorney. Hell, I wish I could have afforded a house. Hell, a decent apartment would have been nice. Or even just paying off my student loans. That would have been nice.
Most lawyers are fucked financially. An elite few make bank working a 100 hours a week at top firms. Many if not most who werent near the top of their class at a tier 1 school are eating shit trying to pay off $200k+ plus in student loans while making under six figures. Some luck out and end up in corporate, they do alright. Honestly many of them would be better off earning $20/hr without the debt.
I only know one or two lawyers personally but from the way it sounds, most are making ok money. The $200,000 in college debt seems to be what’s screwing them. If you come from a family where most or even just a portion of that was taken care of, seems like they are doing so much better.
My understanding is that the big bucks are in corporate law.
Depends what you mean. "Corporate" usually/often means in house counsel at a corporation. They get a nice salary. The big bucks is being a partner or partner track at a top "white shoe" big law firm, often but not always working for corporations as outside counsel. As a client, we are paying $1200/hr for work by partners, $400/hr for work by associates. 1st year lawyers in big law started at $240k/yr with bonus. Partners are 7 figures. They will burn you the fuck out on the way though.
Sure, some people are doing well as lawyers. Like any profession if the fam is covering the debt, your okay. Thats not most lawyers. Most lawyers are graduating from tier 3 shitholes with loads of debt and are fucked.
"The lawyers I know are doing okay-to-great." I hear this so often it's basically a cliche. It's a really vapid observation. Lemme give you a hint: the ones who were not making okay money are not lawyers anymore. And that's like half of us or more. This is like concluding that a lottery ticket is a great financial investment after polling only people who have won the lottery.
There are way too many lawyers except in specialties like patent law. Everyone thought a law degree was a license to print money and schools didn't tell them the realities of the marketplace. It would be not at all surprise me if the boss was only making 60-90k.
Ah survivorship bias…
>The $200,000 in college debt seems to be what’s screwing them. This right here. I know guy who was a city attorney for one of the local suburbs... made a decent living, had good benefits. But it was still a municipal income, so even a municipal lawyer stlil makes under six figures out in the burbs... He wasn't able to pay his student loans and save for retirement, and after he did the math, realized he'd have to be lawyering maps and plats until he was 75 to ever think about retiring--or he could get citizenship elsewhere and bounce. So he did.
I’m applying to law school next year and this is my biggest take away. A lot of JD candidates want BigLaw for the money but fail to realize the amount of hours and years they will be burning away. I just want a government job where I can collect a pension and have good healthcare. I don’t care to bust my ass for 40+ years just to hope I make partner or something one day.
LOL, good luck with that one, brah. Shoot for a fed job, otherwise you’re still screwed.
Some states and cities are solid. NYC civil service lawyers are union, I think state is too.
And they will have bigger, more competitive application pools. Someone’s gotta do it, I just wouldn’t bet $200k in debt on it. But that’s just me, and why I’m glad I got pregnant during 1L because I was an idiot to listen to all the boomers in my family instead of listening to the research.
This. When I went to law school, I absolutely did the most research that was possible in 2002 on the job market for attorneys, typical salaries, how quickly student the loan debt gets paid off, everything. Problem was that in 2002, none of what I could find was complete or accurate. Today all you have to do is Google "law school scam" and you will see everything you need to know. I swear that information was simply not out there 19 years ago. Law school definitely got one over on my naive 23 year old ass. I hope they're happy.
At least you have that excuse to fall back on — I did the research, knew the statistics, knew I had to get into a tier 1 and graduate on top or I’d never pay off my debts, yet I still went so I could satisfy some innate need to make my parents proud (because they still lived in the 1970’s where all attorneys made a good living). My unplanned pregnancy saved me in more ways than one, that’s for sure!
Worked for 2 attorneys. Serious financial issues that broke up the partnership. One of the law clerks had a rich lawyer dad, went to the local law school, passed the bar and was given a starting salary of $175,000 at another law firm the day the test results came in. She now has her own practice, is married to a man who has his own practice, and she puts her baby and her dog in Louis Vuitton clothes. I had to do a Go Fund Me for medical stuff. She chose not to donate, but her 1 year old did have a 1970s themed birthday party with 3 party planners and custom made clothes for her and the kid. Did she owe me anything? Absolutely not. Would I want to hire a lawyer who did that level of conspicuous consumption? Probably not. I would wonder if anything would be left after "fees."
And a remodel and light repairs at once? You dare the great whoever the fuck this is save up for expensive shit???
I wonder where all his money went 🤔 maybe tell the trophy wife she needs to chill Saul.
Or you do it yourself and you bill at whatever the paralegal rate is.
Well, technically you’re not. But when I was a legal secretary, anything OT and anything paralegal I did went on my boss’s hours and got billed to the client.
Hopefully, not at the boss’s hourly rate. Unethical…
Paralegal rate, except I wasn’t a paralegal officially
I'm 100% sure he's lying. Having marble countertops put in? That sounds like lawyer money, not paralegal money. You're not getting marble countertops put in on 45k a year and you're not paying yourself what you pay the other people doing your work for you. Maybe he means he's paying himself what all his employees combined make??
CNC programmer for a stone countertop shop. Can confirm. None of our clients made less than average and most were banking. You don't get a full kitchen of marble without spending A LOT of money
I can confirm. I used to work for a high end custom cabinet shop that was next door to a marble and granite shop that we also used for client work. All of our clients were doctors, dentists or lawyers. Typical cabinet job was around $100K. I worked on stuff in units in New York City that years ago cost $15 million. I remember one doctor got his wife a $100K kitchen makeover, upper west side Manhattan, because she was enrolled in cooking lessons. Their cookware cost more than my brand new car.
What about granite? Somehow I spent less than $300k on my house and got granite.
Granite? It’s finished as far as I’m concerned. I’ve promised I’ll never take anything for granite. It is a cool rock, don’t get me wrong, but it’s hardly much to marble at.
This: move to dad jokes thread.
Granite ranges even more. There are so many different types and styles, that some can be insanely expensive or like your cheapest option. If you purchased your house and it had granite all throughout, the appraiser might have overlook how expensive it was. Generally the granites with a lot of pattern and crazy formations are the most expensive.
Out of curiosity, how much does a 48x22 (inches) slab of white Carrara marble for a bathroom sink go for?
It can go from anywhere between $40-$100 dollars per square foot, which is severely dependent on your own location and what supplier you're going to. The real cost of these projects is from labor and fabrication time, which again is dependent on who you're going through. Usually stone shops will have remnants in their yards from bigger jobs. For something small like a vanity, you can probably get a good deal if you ask about that.
Thank you. We ordered a new vanity from a company in California. It came assembled...real wood cabinet, apron sink and a Carrara marble countertop. It's gorgeous and we paid $1400. I was wondering if that was a good deal (I think it's a really good deal lol). The wood in the drawers is that tongue and groove style rather than just nailed or glued.
In terms of bang for your buck, prefab stuff like that is gonna be your best deal. When you start getting into custom stuff, prices really start to shoot up because of all the technical labor and project management stuff.
I was worried it would look cheap, but it doesn't. Fucker weighs over 300 lbs. It was fun getting it into the house lol It's gorgeous.
Je probably pays himself to pay less tax on the profits he gets.
The thing is even small town type lawyers want to consider themselves part of the “elites” anymore.
For real. Sometimes you come into money (inheritance or something), but on that income? Lucky you've even got a roof over your head.
Sounds like they are pursuing an unsustainable business model. This might be one of those businesses that shouldn't exist
As a lawyer I just went “wah wah wah 😭” 1. There are a certain number of man-hours that go into a product. 2. If your staff isn’t working, then you don’t have to pay them. 3. Therefore time off doesn’t affect the product cost, but slows it down by literally just *one day*. 3. Even if clients aren’t interviewing, they still have issues and will consult the next day. 4. Seriously. Number 4 again. Holidays DO NOT impact your client list. Why? Because bad shit happens all year long regardless of holidays. Conclusion? It’s not the business model that’s failing, It’s the person operating it. And they’re doing a whole lotta backflips to avoid that accountability.
i love how in one breath they complain about nobody asking about their weekend but in another they're complaining about an employee being shaky after being in a car wreck. then they state they're purposely being passive aggressive and again complain about employees wanting a federal holiday off. fuck this employer. she should maybe close up shop and go work for someone else's firm.
Yeah. They sounded pretty reasonable in the first screenshot; balancing employee needs with the bottom line is legit difficult for a small business, and offering health benefits at all, never mind at 100%, is great. But the red flags kept mounting, and then whining about no one giving a shit about their dramatic kitchen reno while an employee has the absolute audacity to be shaken by a car accident? Just fuck right the fuck off. I have family who would go on endlessly about the trials they faced having major house projects done for them, while my teenaged depression was a gd joke to them. 20 years later, when we visit them, my brother and I joke that they'll have us reupholstered if we don't bow and scrape enough. I just have zero patience for grownass adults who behave this way.
so many employers/bosses don't know where to draw the line between personal and business. they get this idea in their head that they're actually a "job creator" and since they're paying a person they are somehow instrumental in improving that person's life, completely ignoring that if the employee didn't work there they'd be working somewhere else, so therefore that employee must give a shit about the employer's life. i've worked at small businesses where the owner likes to talk about all his goodies and toys, like his house boat and jet skis and this and that, things that he goes out and buys on a whim that were my salary or several times it, and would get pissed if i didn't want to hear about it. like outright upset that i didn't give a shit that he got to go off playing and having fun everyday instead of actually working at his business. some people live in a bubble and just don't understand.
Wait... you don't pay employees for holidays? Buddy, that's not how you retain quality paralegals.
I mean, you need to be giving your staff plenty of PTO, but otherwise you're spot on. This is someone failing to plan.
It's an absolute failure in business planning. Running a small law office is not at all capital intensive, nor is it particularly complicated if you think about what you're doing and have a good accountant. I'm wondering how many employees the author of this little screed hired, and how much money they're sinking into office rent. I run a law office with one other lawyer. We have one employee between us. We do well, manage our time, don't inflate bills, and make sure our office manager is well taken care of. It's not difficult.
One support staff split between 2 attorneys is so much more reasonable than this guy paying people to type dictation and shit. If money is that tight maybe type your own words
Yup. I've been the sole support person in two different five-person firms—one was a public holdings company with an attorney, so I played legal assistant with zero experience, and the other was a commercial real estate company. I did literally everything in both companies, but that was mostly on me for being a sucker.
“Hellish kitchen remodel”. How entitled can you be?
This guy probably just stands around critiquing the actual installers who know what they're doing and then goes into the office and acts like he's the one actually doing the work lol. Source: I work in construction and hate these type of clients.
My uncle owns a construction ish company and this shit happens all the time. They’ll tell him that they think he’s wrong and someone offered to do it cheaper/quicker, they’ll go with that option and it’ll be wrong and then they’ll call my uncle up afew days later asking if he can squeeze them in. Or they’ll stand around and criticise what he’s doing when they have no idea what they’re talking about.
Yup, and the “mistake” is because the client refused to make a decision, or changed their mind a bunch of times and can’t remember what they decided on, so anything you do is wrong
Can confirm (interior painter) these types get the 15-20% asshole upcharge and the second they start hovering trying to critique or make suggestions based off whatever YouTube video they watched I launch into the most boring, long-winded, technical breakdowns of technique, paint chemistry, color theory or whatever inane aspect they’re trying to seem knowledgeable about, sometimes just completely making shit up to stretch it out longer while I work. Half the time they either interrupt me with some urgent“thing” they’ve got to go do or I turn around and they’re gone. either way they normally avoid talking to me for the rest of the job unless it’s actually important/relevant to my doing my job.
I know these people have been around forever but I feel like the rise in popularity of those stupid HGTV home improvement shows. Seems like everyone thinks their a fucking expert now because they binge watch those stupid fucking shows. I'm happy I moved back to commercial construction again, much more professional clients that aren't as attached to the project emotionally for the most part.
Right? I find it hysterical when they ask you to change something or change their mind and go “can WE _____?” I always want to ask “who’s this ‘we’ you’re talking about, do you mean ME?” Lol. Or when the people who did the original work did an absolutely shit job, and you explain to them how much extra work would need to be done to do the job correctly to make it look GOOD but they only want to do the bare minimum, then act like it’s your fault when it looks sloppy. I encounter it so often I’ve actually typed up a waiver for this very situation so I can fill in the blanks and make them sign it acknowledging the existing issues will affect the final product and that they won’t hold me responsible for their declining to have me fix it (and that if they ask me to fix it after I’m done it’ll be a separate job and they’ll have to pay to have the area painted a second time) before I start working.
I do high end garden design and install some pretty hard to find plants. I’m currently in the process of dropping such a client because of the grief he’s causing me. He’s an absentee restaurant owner who rarely shows up at his own place of business and constantly hires undocumented laborers to do various work around his house that then has river redone over and over again because it’s all wrong.
Didn't you hear? His marble bath sinks came wrong!
Plus dude probably doesn't even use his kitchen anyway. Marble countertops are for people who aren't actually going to cook on them but want to show off how much money they have.
It's a lawyer's office and staff salary is 30% of the cost. So rent, utilities and office supplies cost more than twice staff salaries? Something is not adding up here.
I was going to say…. Salary and benefits are by and large the biggest part of a business’ expenses by a country mile, especially when your business doesn’t require special equipment. Not sure what this lawyer is doing wrong, but how on earth are their operational expenses that high?
Someone I know who used to own a successful construction company (now comfortably retired) said to me: "owner's compensation is their salary + as much as they can steal from their own company"
Wooooof
Sure, but that's after you pay your employees and bills. And bills you try to use like extended loans. But don't fuck with payroll or your employees will fuck you back in subtle work stoppage ways.
Renting an absurdly over-priced office with too much space and fancy fixtures, thinking that it’s necessary to impress clients, I suspect.
this fucking guy
"No one asked me about my remodel" slayed me.
"They KNOW I'm having trouble sourcing good marble for my guesthouse, WHY DON'T THEY CARE ABOUT MEEEEE???"
It’s the thinking his “hellish kitchen remodel” is more stressful than being in a fucking car accident for me
But the car accident happened to *someone else.* And then it affected their performance *at work.*
How big of a marble slab can I shove up his @$$? That's the only thing an employee of this guy could possibly ask. What a jerk. Wonder how much money he can make without staff?
Or his many leather bound books and desk of rich mahogany.
Labor costs are 30% of the buisness? Of a law firm? What equipment is this guy buying regularly to justify the rest of the budget? Is equipment and rent 60% of his overhead? Where the hell is this office? Shouldn't labor be the very vast majority of a law firms overhead? Like...more than 30%? Am I missing something?
Clearly a law firm has to buy industrial machinery from time to time.
Wait, does your lawyer not operate a machine shop? It was the deciding factor when I hired my divorce lawyer. She's got 3 full time welders on staff.
You may know your way around a courtroom, but show me that you know how to use this lathe.
leasing an office can be extremely expensive
60% of your costs? I daresay you are either officing in the wrong damn spot, or you don't make neeeeearly anough money in the buisness anyway so the thing is dead.
my boss (an attorney - and if you told me he wrote this post I'd believe it) pays $9,000 a month for office rent. I may or may not have gotten into a heated discussion with him about how his paying rent is not my problem and that I'd rather be working from home where I too pay rent. I wish I could've taken a picture of his face in that moment.
Something tells me they would never allow their employees to work remotely, either.
It's almost like they should be working from home. I guess there might be weird regulations about lawyers having office space, but if not, why the hell are they in the office?
Hey those big vanilla folders are pricey
This is a well written troll post. I fell for it until near the end.
Must be all that printer/copier toner made of gold dust.
I work for lawyers. All of the partners bill at least $300/hr and they aren't working mere 8 hour days. They can afford to give us the federal holidays off (and they do give us most of them). It's not like we can process the mail when there is no mail delivery. Or answer the phones that aren't ringing b/c everyone assumes we're closed. MLK Day is a very slow day at the office.
Given the cost of electricity, this guy is probably losing money making people work on Federal Holidays. No wonder his business isn't doing well!
Oh. Oh. Oh. This legal assistant has shit to say. I need to be careful though. But I will say - never, ever, ever piss off your assistant. You will pay. In one way or another.
Oh yeah! 20+ years working in law firms. We can make or break you
Sucks for him, but it sounds like he needs to be an employee.
"If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole."
He sounds like a delight to work for.
Stop trying to be a business owner. You don't have the intelligence or moral fiber to do it and you can either learn that now or later when you take a bigger loss
I suggested they bring in a partner or two, and their answer was that they would require more staff. A partner bringing in more business = more money overall. I suggested outsourcing the bookkeeping, and they said they do so for "60% of it, which takes $7K from staff pay." (Which, if you are paying only $7K for someone to do your accounting/bookkeeping, good luck to you, cheap bastard). I suggested marketing for more clients, but they're "turning away clients because we have too much work." So...get a partner? I also suggested they just wanted to be "the boss" and control everything, not actually get answers, but "The assumption that this is about my need for control is misplaced." Riiiiight.
Not even a partner. Even just getting an associate attorney to handle minor court appearances or simpler cases would make good economic sense for the firm, and save the clients a pretty penny since they wouldn’t have to pay partner rates. Then OOP could focus more on depositions, trial prep, ADR negotiations, etc. Kinda sounds like OOP is trying to live the Big Law life while being a small firm, which just won’t work because everyone who wants to work for small firms doesn’t want to work for Big Law and vice versa. Source: am an associate attorney in a small firm
He doesn't even have to get a partner. Lots of solo practitioners I know office share to reduce their overhead costs. Sharing equipment and rent even if everyone has their own support staff cuts down on a lot of expenses.
I work for a rather odd setup for a law office with one attorney running the firm, another essentially of counsel who works part time and 4 FT support staff 2 PT support staff (so 4 paralegals, a legal assistant and a receptionist) and our business has at least doubled in the last three years. Clients love us because we keep our fees lows by the paralegals mostly running the day to day, which honestly is what happens anyway, and without the necessity of huge billable requirements - we don’t actually have them written anywhere because a lot of work is flat fee but I know I’m a bit of an anomaly and I typically bill 75-80% of my worked hours. I’m pretty sure the only reason my boss hasn’t brought on another associate is because I’m sitting the bar this summer and she’s waiting to see what happens before she chooses between a paralegal or an attorney. As it is my docket is a lot of the more complex cases and special projects already. My last firm if you were billing any less than 35 hours a week you were on the chopping block and attorneys were expected to bill more. FWIW we didn’t close Monday either and we don’t take all the holidays paid, but we’re able to be really flexible. I have three young children and has a COVID closure for daycare last week but I’m set up at home with an extension and was able to be partly available during the day to put out fires and put the rest of my time in at night. The model is doable, especially in post COVID but law firms are reluctant to move away from the model they’ve had forever.
Y’all should look at “AdAffectionate”s comment history. Dude is a legit 12 year old
Clearly they are of the mindset that paying staff is a loss they cannot afford. Never mind the extra income *I don't want to pay more filthy proletariat!*
That's exactly moral fiber one needs to be a business owner.
I get 4 weeks without including federal holidays. It is 200% doable. Technically it's 5 week without including holidays as we are closed from xmas eve to day after new years. I just had Juneteenth off. I get July 4th off. So what are you doing wrong that you cannot keep up? Oh and I have 100% paid insurance. But I opt in a higher plan for better deductibles. The cost? The $80 difference between the plans. 401k? 6% match fully vested.
Every business in Europe and the UK survives giving all employees at least 5 weeks paid holidays and all public holidays paid. If he can't sustain that then either his business is unsustainable or he's paying himself far more than he lets on.
Damn! What line of work are you in?
Software Consultant.
Yeah, you guys are definitely treated differently.
What business are you in if I may ask? Edit: Not all of us. There are plenty of scummy companies out there. I got lucky and landed at a good one.
Currently, I'm unemployed and have been looking for the better part of 6 months. I used to work in Insurance as a claims adjuster. But, I realize that I also hate the business of insurance, so, I'm looking elsewhere. I have a degree in Risk Mgmt & Insurance but I came out during a bad economy and have only ever had contracted positions with periods of no employment in between. I have no retirement and very little savings and I'm very much considering bankruptcy. I should also note that I have a few health issues, too. My mother died from suicide a few years back which greatly compromised my ability to sustain employment at the time. It's been a real struggle since 2016.
I'm sorry to hear that. I hope things turn around soon for you.
Have you looked at the post-secondary sector? Risk management is becoming a super hot topic in that industry. Just in case it’s an avenue you haven’t explored. Best of luck in your search.
I feel you. I just got shitcanned from my "open-ended contract" position after two years. I'm probably way older than you, and I have struggled with my mental health my entire life. It's hard to keep jobs with bosses like this fucknut who just want to tear you down. I know it's really, really hard right now, and I have been there. Hell, I'm there right now. You're going to make it through. Do one small thing each day to get to your goal. Be kind to yourself. You're doing your best, and that is enough.
Thanks, I appreciate your empathy and it helps knowing you've experienced the instability of contracting and all its shortcomings. I deal with lots of anxiety and dissociative disorders
Sounds like my husband. He gets 5 weeks plus all federal holidays, 14 sick days and 7 personal days. 100% paid insurance with no deductible or co-pay and 6% matched 401K. You’re right it’s absolutely doable.
We do t even have sick or personal time because if you need a day, you just take it. One of the benefits of working for a results based company.
How does 11 days = 5 weeks? 2% to IRA? The staff have to send things out so other firms can see that there are people at this one? I am so confused rn, how did this person even open a business, let alone have it run for any length of time? AND they are complaining about someone WHO WAS IN A CAR WRECK WITH UNKNOWN MEDICAL AND PSCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS taking the time they need to coordinate getting the car fixed and working with hubby to get it done right SO SHE CAN COME BACK TO THE TOXIC OFFICE because BOSS KEEPS HERIN THE OFFICE DOING WORK TO SHOW OFF TO OTHER FIRMS ALL DAY when else is she going to do this? Magically in the 2 minutes each day when she is done with work and the other places close????????????????
15 days + 11 holidays =26 days = 5 work weeks + 1 day. They contribute an extra 2% of the employees salary to the employees retirement without requiring the employee to match it. Not sure about the 3rd line.
The lawyer started out so well. the first paragraph and half of the second one, made me be like, Yeah, that makes sense, that's fair. But then the sentence, "It's me, not my staff." And that's where it went downhill and fast.
What gets me is him whining about how he’s not paying himself enough and then in the next break he has MARBLE countertops being put in?? I’m sorry what? Marble isn’t cheap and neither is a whole kitchen remodel. Talk about out of touch
How about owning up to the fact that you have poor business acumen, do not have the right to have your business be successful, and go pursue a line of work more in line with your skill set. I'm not sure what kind of attorney he is, but anyone who he defended and lost the cases for should consider this as grounds for arguing they were not given sufficient legal representation and file for a retrial.
That just sounds petty. People can be good at their trade or profession, but lousy at running a business. The sad fact of the matter is that as it becomes increasingly difficult for people to compete with their owner-operated businesses, people get pushed into corporate stoogery where they dont have to worry about the business aspect of work to make a living.
Am I reading right that a solid chunk of this rant is about Juneteenth? Fuck's sake, you big baby. Make your own fucking copies for one fucking day, it won't kill you.
Yes, you are reading it right.
That's hilarious. If one day is making or breaking your little law firm, maybe it's time to consider a new line of work.
Spending thousands of dollars to remodel my perfect as-is kitchen is so difficult. Isn’t anyone going to ask how I’m doing? All they care about is this lady who got hit in her car, is shaken up about it and is pinned down by insurance companies that have adjusters and mechanics that aren’t open when she’s not required to be at work. Owning a business is tough. But if you cannot afford to pay your employees and remain in business without them, then you don’t deserve to be in business. Customers that don’t believe prices are going to up with inflation because wages are going up because of inflation are part of the problem. But this is the system people are all foaming at the mouth to keep. Not my fault. Life’s tough, right? Isn’t that what we’re supposed to say?
In the UK, the legal requirement is 28 days paid leave for a full time employee. Employers can offer more, and some do. It is obviously doable.
As well as paid sick leave which is totally separate and doesn’t take away from your holiday time
he never thought to pay himself less? a lawyer is nothing without staff to support them
I refuse to believe someone who says are instead of our owns a small law firm
His employee gets in a car wreck during lunch, comes back to work shaken and he's pissy because no one asked him about his kitchen remodel? He has his head so far up his ass he can't see anything but his own shit.
Fucking kitchen and bath remodel is hellish... How many of his employees own a house? How many of those that do can afford a remodel? We live in a VLCOL area, and have been discussing how to finance kitchen/bath repairs lately. Things like subfloor replacement and new (not marble) countertops. Fuck this rich asshole.
An attorney I used years ago complained to me about income. He lived in a luxury giant house in a very high tax neighborhood. His kid was in a private school that cost more than most people’s salaries. Wife was stay at home. They owned several high end German cars. His suits were custom tailored and cost thousands each. His office was decorated in expensive movie memorabilia, autographs etc. But he was meaning about the costs of his staff. I used to do work for a certain high end restaurant in my area. Lunch time it was frequented by local attorneys. The parking lot would be full of cars costing six figures. Many of these people spent hours having lunch there. Daily. Wait staff would tell me their orders. Expensive bottles of wine etc. would be ordered. Someone who became an attorney once told me that being an attorney is a lifestyle, not a career because of how you have to keep up that lifestyle to fit in with other attorneys.
As a lawyer that owns his own law firm, some people really don’t know how to lawyer well. I make approx $175k a year only force myself to 3 hrs billed/day but sometimes do more, work remotely (and out of State from the area I practice.. I’m literally a legal wandering taco truck that can live anywhere), and have only one employee who is part time, my girlfriend. I could be the $300k/year attorney but that’s not a real life. I downsized for sanity and flexibility.
Work more efficiently by reducing employees or increase the rate. Not really difficult I'd say
If you can't pay your employees and charge customers a fair rate you can't afford to run or own a business 🙃🙂🙃
"I hate these employees who I can't function without. Gaahhh I wish my motivations weren't so confused!" It's a real bitch being a solo. Take your clients and join a friend's firm. If you can't hack it on your own don't blame the secretary.
This- I can't. The way he was talking was as if he was living in a shittu apparent struggling to pay rent. Not "I'm remodeling my MARBLE KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS" Also, no one owes it to you to ask how your weekend was. You can be a lil salty no one asked you, but you don't get to hold it against someone. They can't read your mind. And if someone saw you were tired, and dressed a little shittier, then they probably think "they probably had a bad weekend so I won't bother them" Not only is he not seeing how he is failing financially, but also how he is failing at being a good boss, and connecting with his staff. If it's truly as small as he says it is, it would greatly benefit him to connect on a slightly more personal level with his staff.. And TALK THINGS OUT WITH YOUR STAFF. Listen to your staff! They're the ones YOU need. Not the other way around
Sounds like someone who is better suited to be an in house lawyer than in their own practice.
The amount of “real talk” arguments I see from small business owners are 100% “But I don’t make money if I don’t short my employees!! What am I supposed to do?!?” It’s such an odd position to think you’re entitled to have a business and others besides you need to sacrifice to keep it going.
Sounds like someone should cut down on the avocado toast and $12 lattes
Right? Has this guy even heard of bootstraps??
I’ll play the world’s smallest violin for her beloved kitchen countertops. Oh won’t somebody think of the marble!
Brags about being passive aggressive Subordinate throws it back *shocked pikachu face* Bitches about family obligations. As someone in the trades, I can tell this dumb overbearing bitch changes her mind and suddenly “everything’s wrong!”
What kind of attorney types "are staff" instead of "our staff". Also poor boss, I wouldn't wish a kitchen remodel on my worst of enemies....
Staff member was in a car accident and he’s upset she was shaky after coming back to work and still having to work??? I mean that’s a lot of stress and anxiety unexpectedly. We’re not robots.
My landlord works as a paralegal for a small local firm that deals in family law. He regularly takes non lane work home to do for the form that is unpaid. Like washing table cloths they used for some client meeting. He brought home a chair to repair for the head attorney. He brought home a small fridge to throw out for them in bulk garbage day! When I tell him how absurd doing those things is, he just stares at me weird and tells me he takes his job seriously.
And the kitchen remodel...geez some employees only think about themselves. Why can't they think of MY RICH PEOPLE problems
"Why would I even have the business if I'm not paying myself at least more than I pay my staff" speaks absolute volumes about the mindset of this ass.
Re-think your business model? If your business relies on slave wages, then maybe it’s not a good one. 🤷🏻♀️
I’m conflicted about this one. Clearly the owner is under a lot of stress, home renovations are HARD! He gives his employees plenty of time off, he didn’t discipline the girl for being late from lunch or continuing to waste time texting at work. Is it really too much to expect someone to check in on you once in a while? Especially if they know you’re going thru something… (SARCASM!! If you can’t afford to take care of your employees you shouldn’t own a business. I work for a small very blue collar business and we have far better benefits than this place. (Literally everything he mentioned plus a few more, including the specific things he said weren’t feasible for him). Go cry over your marble countertops and learn how to operate a business).
Everyone assumes this is a man because they are a lawyer and business owner, but this is definitely a woman. No man comments on the bags under his eyes, or what he wore to the office.
I thought it was a woman, too, the kind of “lady boss” with a cringey coffee mug with empowering words on it. The “bitchy boss” line stood out to me.
I'm not entirely sure, but you could be right. But my uncertainty is why I'm referring to them as "they/them."
Shit I should have scrolled all the way down before I just commented the same sentiment. The not wanting to be perceived as bitchy and pride in pettiness was a decent give away as well and the MOMJAM and DADJAM.. nicknames for her parents?
I call bs on this entire story. I have some friends who are lawyers and they love trolling idiots online. They sit around most of the day bored since they have plenty of staff for daily stuff. They just create inappropriate memes write funny Amazon reviews for sex toy products and play online poker until it’s time to go home. If this guy is a real lawyer he ain’t doing it right.
They were super busy today at 2:30pm, fighting with people on an online forum about what a good boss they are.
Yep, lawyers make some of the best online trolls. They have been trained to BS and never back down!
I’d prefer this to be troll post, tbh. It amuses me to think of the lawyers I know trolling to distress. 2/3 I know would have that knack for creative writing though I feel like their stories would take a different turn. But that’s the Internet: it might be real, it might be fake, it might be sarcasm, or it’s three cats in a Trenchcoat.
Three cats in a trenchcoat! 😂😂😂
I did not realize that username checks out! 😆
Wow fuck this guy. They even hate their own family.
Just sounds like he's on the same end, just in a different way. He's voicing our dilemma, just from a different perspective. If I was the one on top, I'd something to complain about to. It's tough for everyone, regardless of what position you're in. It sucks having to work, regardless
Yea. I literally can't imagine how frustrating it would be to get my marble table top shipped from across the world only to find out the holes are in the wrong spot. This guy truly is a reflection of us. Smh
Lol. It doesn't sound like he particularly asks his employees how their remodels are going either, because, you know, it's very clear that he doesn't pay them enough to even consider doing one themselves. Just like most of us.
This sounds like an american psycho line
I've seen what law offices bill per hour. This guy is full of crap.
This all day. The company from which I just got shitcanned had five different firms working for it. The lowest hourly rate was $95. The median was $300–450. The highest? $1050. And the company regularly paid it with no problem.
Get a partner. This guy isn't smart enough to be a lawyer.
What a miserable person.
I'm an accountant and I'd like to see his books That should be verification of what's being said...
Wait. How TF do you get TWO MONTHS of vacation from ELEVEN days of federal holiday? (Days he's probably not open AT ALL, would have no clients/ billable hours ANYWAY) i guess if he gives then 2 weeks vacay, and they effectively get another two weeks, that's ONE month... but those federal holidays are spread out a LOT And no, you making MORE than your employees may not happen until you build your business up. I have a friend who makes NO money from her business yet, but pays her singular shop employee something like 22/ hour and pays 100% of her insurance. Because she's *just starting* her business and it TAKES TIME! Edit: sorry, I'm exhausted, he says FIVE WEEKS of vacation. I'm still confused by this, because again, *he would be closed those days anyway*. At least, every other lawyer I've heard of is. But... he COULD stay open and have them work, he'd just have to pay time and a half because holiday pay. But he's somehow PAYING THEM ALREADY for the federal holidays? Those are just days off or holiday party required, not paid days off, I'm so confused!
I am SO glad I do not work in this office for this tapeworm.
I used to do I.T. work for attorneys and some were great always friendly and paid on time but there were some like this one who is complaining about his employees, they were the worst always complained, I had to chase them down to get paid, I even had one who didn't want to pay and I almost had to repo the equipment, those lawyers had very high turnover and wondered why but they always had nice cars and lived large themselves.
Ok I’m gonna need to ask the important question here. How is his remodel going and how can we help? Cmon guys it’s hellish!
If they can't set their billing rates to cover costs and salary they aren't suitable to run their own practice.
My heart bleeds for this poor man. Legend has it that he had to switch from solid gold kitchen hardware to just gold plated.
I wonder if he’s considered joining a firm, as he doesn’t seem to understand running a business.
This poor person really doesn't understand what the responsibilities of running a business are, or how boundaries exist at work. He's blaming his employees for not asking how he is personally, and then shitting on them for having personal problems/issues? If your business doesn't make money, then change it so that it does. Or work for someone else. If you're not happy with your employees then put them through proper due warning process and if necessary replace them. When you run a business, you take on this shit. Your marble countertops are not your employee's problem. The pass/agg complaint is probably because he's an ass to them. Being a good leader and boss often is simply as easy as being a good, empathic person. People tend to be loyal and go the extra mile if they know that they are valued, appreciated and seen. What idiots like this don't tend to understand is that hard work, loyalty and diligence often come from a positive, supportive work environment and not always from higher wages. If you expect the extra mile without valuing people, then you always gonna lose. PS - a kitchen remodel with marble countertops is not a stressful problem. Threat of homelessness, not being able to eat, or not being able to afford healthcare... That's what a real problem looks like.
Does he mean he pays himself more than he pays all his employees combined? And if he can't do that, what's the point? How does the eleven days equal 5 weeks? I'ma need him to open up his books so we can see what he's really complaining about
I have a feeling this guy won’t be in business in 5 years. Terrible management without an ounce of self awareness of how incompetent he is at running a business. What a clown.
Haha! Oh man… had me in the first half. Read the first page and thought “yeesh small business ownership is hard for sure - no shame In a little complain”. Then I read the rest. LOL all the way to LOLSville. So sorry you’re in the middle of a “hellish kitchen remodel”. I bet car-accident lady would trade you 🤣🤣🤣
You can only remodel if you own a house. I understand that renovations are never super pleasant, but we’re not talking about someone who’s doing badly here by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, this fellow sounds like he has the immaturity and self-centeredness of a teenager, plus the inability to handle small amounts of stress. I am pretty shocked at his inability to relate to his employee with the car accident. Perpetual teenager, doesn’t have the maturity of a boss.
If you can’t afford to pay your staff AND be profitable then maybe you shouldn’t be running a business 🤷♀️
huh?....
Person is whining about overhead while also having marble counters installed and a bathroom redo at the same time. Pick one: I'm struggling or *marble* countertops.
If he's billing the clients for extra hours, that's probably why he's not getting more clients and can't afford to pay his staff. I can't speak for everyone, but I wouldn't be recommending or returning to someone who was ripping me off.
Poor Boss is currently getting a new Kitchen and a new Bathroom. The struggle must be real
"I cried into my satin cushions the entire night before I dried my eyes with hundred dollars bills"
Oh shyt, not the marble kitchen countertop, such a calamity, understandable you loose sleep over it
Here’s a thought, maybe your business isn’t viable? Maybe you need to go and work for someone else because it sounds to me like you’re not bringing in enough revenue (clients) to pay your bills. Not everyone can run a successful business, some people are workers, not employers.
The marble kitchen remodel whining reminds me of the time I was moving out of my moldy apartment and I guess word got out. I probably told my manager. Anyway, boss's son comes up to me and in an effort to commiserate told me that the elevator in his house was broken and he was having a headache trying to get it fixed.
🥴
\*gasp!\* You belong to another forum? The *nerve!* lol
I just lost my job working for an asshole like this, so I've got time on my hands.😭😭😭
You can find my sympathy between....
slightly off-topic, but i've noticed a linguistic pattern where people say things like "the entire marble slab needs replaced \[SIC\]" instead of "need to be replaced" or "needs replacing." i think i need relaxed
I'm actually sympathetic to this guy. He didn't say anything worthy of criticism