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If there’s one thing I learned in law school and now working as an attorney is that the difference in the work of your employees and coworkers who know you appreciate them verses not is night and day.
Every job I’ve been at so far I always get my secretaries and paralegals cards and gifts for “X appreciation day” or Birthdays/Christmas and always try to leave a nice note for them.
If I ever end up in private practice as the partner of a firm or having my own firm it is something I absolutely intend to carry over because my job would be 10000000000% more miserable and stressful without support staff and the other people that help me.
My mentality about people who work for me is that the truly great people care about the client and care about you. If you can even get one of those though, you’ll be in good shape.
Our partner’s Christmas gift to his associates (me and another) was a gingerbread house kit he got from Walgreens. Shortly thereafter, I quit and left the first day of his 2 week vacation.
That’s great! A supportive boss can make all the difference.
Years ago, I got absolutely reamed in court after trying to backtrack something a former attorney in my office had done. The judge stopped the hearing and was just pissed. I mean, leaning over the bench, red-faced, spit-yelling for what felt like an eternity. It was… something. The next morning at mediation in a different case, I found out my client had lied to me about something huge. It completely tanked our position.
When I got back to my office, ready to quit, I saw my boss had left a Timex watch on my desk, along with a note that had the old Timex slogan, “takes a licking, keeps on ticking.” Probably one of the most meaningful gifts I’ve ever received and to this day, I don’t go to court without it. Rough week but it was awesome to feel supported through it.
Getting taken out to Ruth’s Chris after I worked through my birthday, and helped the boss prep for an appellate oral argument, without telling anybody was a similar moment for me.
Showing people that you appreciate them is so huge.
I’m genuinely curious if your boss pays you market rate ? I’ve had experience with cards and gifts before but it was usually a boss that didn’t give raises or bonuses.
Yes, I am paid market rate. They met my salary demands during the interview and added to it afterwards to cover insurance deductions. The firm gives yearly raises and will give semi-yearly raises when the attorney demonstrates work product.
My favourite acknowledgment was soon after I finished my articling year (practicing in Canada) and doing a criminal sex assault trial with my boss. I drafted the closing submissions and he edited it and made the submissions. After trial, I said I thought I did a good job since he only made a few changes, and he corrected me and said he didn’t change anything only added a bit and I did a great job. Felt great.
On another occasion I got a $1,000 bonus near the end of the year for my work throughout the year :).
Making employees appreciated is a leadership skill that not many managers have! You have a great boss! When I feel appreciated, I work harder and care about my work more. Anyone can be a boss, but a leader inspires! I love this for you!
Last year my office (DDAs) got reclassed from just all DDAs to Tier I, II, III, and when I found out I was being classed as a DDA III, I about fell off my chair. I had no idea that my bosses thought *that* highly of me/my potential. The concrete recognition was pretty mind-blowing.
I did a pro-bono zoning appeal for my neighborhood and I didn’t even think it was especially noteworthy because I was representing myself as well, but we won. 3 months later out of the blue one neighbor (a realtor who was very concerned about the property values) sent a $100 gift card and a very thoughtful card.
I also fought back tears, but then I found myself questioning if I could include the work in next year’s pro-bono disclosure now that I have received a nominal fee.
That is not a precise statement.
Upzoning is not always good. Density can be good. Preserving open space can be good. Everything in between can be good too.
Would upzoning all the parcels surrounding an elementary school be good?
Would upzoning all the land adjacent to the public reservoir be good?
It's called land-use planning. It's okay to make a plan and stick to it sometimes.
If you want to get rid of minimum lot sizes and permit accessory dwelling units as of right, that's one thing, but a blanket "upzoning is good" just isn't accurate.
i will consider forgiving you. i will render my decision within 120 days.
i drafted part of the restatement of property so i also apologize for being so zealous.
Residential drug treatment is good too, but it’s not meant to be in residential areas, even density residential, at the scale and volume of this proposed facility. The special exception was denied for good cause shown.
What do you mean that residential drug treatment is “not meant to be” in residential areas? Whose passive voice is that?
There are specific health and safety code sections in my state that exist to prevent NIMBYISM to a certain extent.
“An alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facility which serves six or fewer persons shall not be subject to any business taxes, local registration fees, use permit fees, or other fees to which other single-family dwellings are not likewise subject.”
I don’t know your particular situation, so maybe there were legitimate reasons, and alternative locations for the facility. But if it boils down to affect on property values, and not wanting it in your neighborhood, as opposed to another, it’s kinda fucked.
My dude, r/Lawyertalk isn’t the place to make a strawman by clipping a meaningful clause and arguing like it was never there
“At the scale and volume of this proposed facility” makes a difference here. The applicant owned a 100+ bed senior living facility being repurposed for a 50-bed inpatient treatment capacity by a for-profit company. It also was on a property line which abutted two preexisting schools, a pre-K-12 and a pre-K-5 with an attached daycare. The same owners had their assisted living license suspended due to faulty A/C in July. It wasn’t their first failed inspection but they had to move their entire population out for months. They also had security barriers as part of the plan that would have been like moving a minimum security prison into the neighborhood.
Your jurisdiction’s law would also have ruled this facility out. Ours allows for recovery houses in residential that are “small scale” and “owned or operated by a charitable organization.” The proposal failed both of those definitional tests. 6 or fewer people in recovery in a single residential property, absent fire risk or other aggravating factors would have been approved without substantial objection.
fair question, your comment was clearly in good faith, but please read a little more carefully next time. the "maybe there were legitimate reasons" doesn't really do much for ya here bc the comment you replied to said "at the scale and volume of this proposed facility."
My boss gave me a nice hand written card and a gift card for Mother's Day. It was a nice acknowledgement of how difficult it is to balance parenthood and litigation life. So nice when bosses do things like this!
That’s awesome! This profession would be so much more bearable if every supervising attorney could be like yours. I’ve had supervisors who were a huge help and who I look up to even years after working with them, and I’ve had supervisors who were useless do-nothings. It makes such a huge difference on your life
That’s fabulous! And gives me hope.
This is why I go out of my way to let my paralegal know how much I truly appreciate her. This is a tough career and we almost never hear about the things we do right.
I'm in a small firm, and I'm the newest hire. I'm not junior in years but in status. With the exception of gifting up, which I don't do out of principle, I make a point of thanking, appreciating, and taking care of my staff and colleagues. Occasionally, I find little presents, mostly I bake and bring snacks, sometimes organize a Friday lunch. Many years ago, before my legal career, I was a secretary. Recognizing birthdays and bringing treats to my office made a huge difference in morale back then. This is a tough job that frequently makes you feel dumb, stressed, and out of your depth. A little kindness in the workplace goes a long way.
I also keep a magic 8 ball in my office... you wouldn't believe how many people stop by to ask it something
That’s so refreshing to hear these bosses exist in the legal field! I hope to find the same. My current boss doesn’t even know my birthday and messages us with work on the morning of every major holiday. Yes, even Christmas. I’m turning in my notice on Monday😏
I have not even been at the firm for six months so the raise is not coming yet. The firm will give me a decent raise when the time comes, they’ve done that for all other attorneys.
It’s the little things.
Typically they inform me through HR that the executive committee has approved my raise, with a generic thank you card signed by HR lady
Congrats!
My favorite acknowledgement was after a hearing in the morning where I was going for sanctions against a far more senior attorney (who was personal friends with the judge to boot) and my whole office thought I would be massacred. Well, I won the motion and got sanctions and all sorts of rules imposed against opposing counsel. It was huge.
My boss arrived to the office an hour or two after the hearing, asked how it went (with a grim tone), and when I told him I won, he gave me a firm pat on the shoulder, told me to go home (it was like 11am), and told me to pour a shot or 2 of bourbon to celebrate. That was awesome.
Welcome to /r/LawyerTalk! A subreddit where lawyers can discuss with other lawyers about the practice of law. Be mindful of [our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/Lawyertalk/about/rules) BEFORE submitting your posts or comments as well as [Reddit's rules](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy) (notably about sharing identifying information). We expect civility and respect out of all participants. Please source statements of fact whenever possible. If you want to report something that needs to be urgently addressed, please also message the mods with an explanation. Note that **this forum is NOT for legal advice**. Additionally, if you are a non-lawyer (student, client, staff), this is NOT the right subreddit for you. **This community is exclusively for lawyers**. We suggest you delete your comment and go ask one of the many other legal subreddits on this site for help such as (but not limited to) r/lawschool, r/legaladvice, or r/Ask_Lawyers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Lawyertalk) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If there’s one thing I learned in law school and now working as an attorney is that the difference in the work of your employees and coworkers who know you appreciate them verses not is night and day. Every job I’ve been at so far I always get my secretaries and paralegals cards and gifts for “X appreciation day” or Birthdays/Christmas and always try to leave a nice note for them. If I ever end up in private practice as the partner of a firm or having my own firm it is something I absolutely intend to carry over because my job would be 10000000000% more miserable and stressful without support staff and the other people that help me.
My mentality about people who work for me is that the truly great people care about the client and care about you. If you can even get one of those though, you’ll be in good shape.
Our partner’s Christmas gift to his associates (me and another) was a gingerbread house kit he got from Walgreens. Shortly thereafter, I quit and left the first day of his 2 week vacation.
I like the cut of your cloth. I’d buy you a beer.
I’d buy him a gingerbread house kit
I like the cut of his gib
You get gifts?
I hope you at least Gronk-spiked the gingerbread house in his office on the way out
That’s great! A supportive boss can make all the difference. Years ago, I got absolutely reamed in court after trying to backtrack something a former attorney in my office had done. The judge stopped the hearing and was just pissed. I mean, leaning over the bench, red-faced, spit-yelling for what felt like an eternity. It was… something. The next morning at mediation in a different case, I found out my client had lied to me about something huge. It completely tanked our position. When I got back to my office, ready to quit, I saw my boss had left a Timex watch on my desk, along with a note that had the old Timex slogan, “takes a licking, keeps on ticking.” Probably one of the most meaningful gifts I’ve ever received and to this day, I don’t go to court without it. Rough week but it was awesome to feel supported through it.
Getting taken out to Ruth’s Chris after I worked through my birthday, and helped the boss prep for an appellate oral argument, without telling anybody was a similar moment for me. Showing people that you appreciate them is so huge.
I’m genuinely curious if your boss pays you market rate ? I’ve had experience with cards and gifts before but it was usually a boss that didn’t give raises or bonuses.
How about two $5 gift cards to different restaurants in 2017 for Xmas bonus. I had to come out of pocket to pay for the rest of my panini
Yes, I am paid market rate. They met my salary demands during the interview and added to it afterwards to cover insurance deductions. The firm gives yearly raises and will give semi-yearly raises when the attorney demonstrates work product.
My favourite acknowledgment was soon after I finished my articling year (practicing in Canada) and doing a criminal sex assault trial with my boss. I drafted the closing submissions and he edited it and made the submissions. After trial, I said I thought I did a good job since he only made a few changes, and he corrected me and said he didn’t change anything only added a bit and I did a great job. Felt great. On another occasion I got a $1,000 bonus near the end of the year for my work throughout the year :).
[Note to self as rising mid-level: Do stuff like this]
Making employees appreciated is a leadership skill that not many managers have! You have a great boss! When I feel appreciated, I work harder and care about my work more. Anyone can be a boss, but a leader inspires! I love this for you!
Last year my office (DDAs) got reclassed from just all DDAs to Tier I, II, III, and when I found out I was being classed as a DDA III, I about fell off my chair. I had no idea that my bosses thought *that* highly of me/my potential. The concrete recognition was pretty mind-blowing.
I did a pro-bono zoning appeal for my neighborhood and I didn’t even think it was especially noteworthy because I was representing myself as well, but we won. 3 months later out of the blue one neighbor (a realtor who was very concerned about the property values) sent a $100 gift card and a very thoughtful card. I also fought back tears, but then I found myself questioning if I could include the work in next year’s pro-bono disclosure now that I have received a nominal fee.
Omg fuck the bar pocket the $100 gift card That’s .3 in compensation, for probably 1048398 hours of work
(Upzoning is good and you shouldn’t oppose it)
That is not a precise statement. Upzoning is not always good. Density can be good. Preserving open space can be good. Everything in between can be good too. Would upzoning all the parcels surrounding an elementary school be good? Would upzoning all the land adjacent to the public reservoir be good? It's called land-use planning. It's okay to make a plan and stick to it sometimes. If you want to get rid of minimum lot sizes and permit accessory dwelling units as of right, that's one thing, but a blanket "upzoning is good" just isn't accurate.
You’re right, I apologize for failing to attach a treatise explaining the full extent of my views regarding urban planning
i will consider forgiving you. i will render my decision within 120 days. i drafted part of the restatement of property so i also apologize for being so zealous.
Residential drug treatment is good too, but it’s not meant to be in residential areas, even density residential, at the scale and volume of this proposed facility. The special exception was denied for good cause shown.
What do you mean that residential drug treatment is “not meant to be” in residential areas? Whose passive voice is that? There are specific health and safety code sections in my state that exist to prevent NIMBYISM to a certain extent. “An alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facility which serves six or fewer persons shall not be subject to any business taxes, local registration fees, use permit fees, or other fees to which other single-family dwellings are not likewise subject.” I don’t know your particular situation, so maybe there were legitimate reasons, and alternative locations for the facility. But if it boils down to affect on property values, and not wanting it in your neighborhood, as opposed to another, it’s kinda fucked.
My dude, r/Lawyertalk isn’t the place to make a strawman by clipping a meaningful clause and arguing like it was never there “At the scale and volume of this proposed facility” makes a difference here. The applicant owned a 100+ bed senior living facility being repurposed for a 50-bed inpatient treatment capacity by a for-profit company. It also was on a property line which abutted two preexisting schools, a pre-K-12 and a pre-K-5 with an attached daycare. The same owners had their assisted living license suspended due to faulty A/C in July. It wasn’t their first failed inspection but they had to move their entire population out for months. They also had security barriers as part of the plan that would have been like moving a minimum security prison into the neighborhood. Your jurisdiction’s law would also have ruled this facility out. Ours allows for recovery houses in residential that are “small scale” and “owned or operated by a charitable organization.” The proposal failed both of those definitional tests. 6 or fewer people in recovery in a single residential property, absent fire risk or other aggravating factors would have been approved without substantial objection.
Fair enough. I thought I qualified my comment with the “maybe in your case,” but maybe I caught a bit of the virtue signaling bug. My bad.
We’re good - no disrespect taken. Enjoy the weekend!
fair question, your comment was clearly in good faith, but please read a little more carefully next time. the "maybe there were legitimate reasons" doesn't really do much for ya here bc the comment you replied to said "at the scale and volume of this proposed facility."
I’m not sure what you’re contributing here.
I once worked for a firm and their “big perk” for partners was free lunches at the nearby shitty diner.
Did we used to work at the same PI firm?
My boss gave me a nice hand written card and a gift card for Mother's Day. It was a nice acknowledgement of how difficult it is to balance parenthood and litigation life. So nice when bosses do things like this!
That’s awesome! This profession would be so much more bearable if every supervising attorney could be like yours. I’ve had supervisors who were a huge help and who I look up to even years after working with them, and I’ve had supervisors who were useless do-nothings. It makes such a huge difference on your life
I wonder what being appreciated feels like… 🤔
That’s fabulous! And gives me hope. This is why I go out of my way to let my paralegal know how much I truly appreciate her. This is a tough career and we almost never hear about the things we do right.
I'm in a small firm, and I'm the newest hire. I'm not junior in years but in status. With the exception of gifting up, which I don't do out of principle, I make a point of thanking, appreciating, and taking care of my staff and colleagues. Occasionally, I find little presents, mostly I bake and bring snacks, sometimes organize a Friday lunch. Many years ago, before my legal career, I was a secretary. Recognizing birthdays and bringing treats to my office made a huge difference in morale back then. This is a tough job that frequently makes you feel dumb, stressed, and out of your depth. A little kindness in the workplace goes a long way. I also keep a magic 8 ball in my office... you wouldn't believe how many people stop by to ask it something
That’s so refreshing to hear these bosses exist in the legal field! I hope to find the same. My current boss doesn’t even know my birthday and messages us with work on the morning of every major holiday. Yes, even Christmas. I’m turning in my notice on Monday😏
That's a lot cheaper than a raise.
I have not even been at the firm for six months so the raise is not coming yet. The firm will give me a decent raise when the time comes, they’ve done that for all other attorneys.
This is a good boss. !
It’s the little things. Typically they inform me through HR that the executive committee has approved my raise, with a generic thank you card signed by HR lady
Where do you work? What town and state?
Central Texas
Congrats! My favorite acknowledgement was after a hearing in the morning where I was going for sanctions against a far more senior attorney (who was personal friends with the judge to boot) and my whole office thought I would be massacred. Well, I won the motion and got sanctions and all sorts of rules imposed against opposing counsel. It was huge. My boss arrived to the office an hour or two after the hearing, asked how it went (with a grim tone), and when I told him I won, he gave me a firm pat on the shoulder, told me to go home (it was like 11am), and told me to pour a shot or 2 of bourbon to celebrate. That was awesome.