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Firm owners, how would you handle this associate performance issue?
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Date: April 30th, 2026 4:48 PM Author: Cream Costumed Locus 2nd year associate at a small firm that I own. Upon hiring, I laid out billing expectations and per month. Associate is in litigation and handling 8-9 matters, partly by himself but with regular input from me for any questions. Now ive come to realize that associate has been mighty deficient in billing, having only recorded time entries amounting to 16 hours in April, 14 hours in March, and 27 hours in February (my suspicion is that this is due to laziness in recording time entries in a timely manner). Moreover, two months ago, associate missed an important case deadline because he "forgot to calendar it". Ive had a few complaints over the last week from various clients whose cases are being serviced by this associate too, and it looks like associate is taking weeks and weeks to do relatively straightforward tasks, such as drafting a complaint in state court when we have extensive demand letter info and case notes already in file. (Ie, this should not take 4 weeks to do).
I gave a pretty strict warning awhile ago when associate missed a critical case deadline. Now what? I'm worried about losing client cases (ie, them firing us), SOL issues potentially, and the general lack of drive/productivity.
Another warning? a 30 day "shape up or you're out" plan, termination? What would you do? |
Date: April 30th, 2026 4:53 PM Author: Haunting pit that's unreal. you have to talk to him. give him one more month, look over his shoulder the entire time, then can him if it keeps up (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49854954) |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 4:56 PM Author: Cream Costumed Locus what would you say exactly. tbh, ive kinda lost confidence in this person. as a young associate, your only value is being available whenever needed and working your ass off. you have no experience, no real judgment, etc. that affords you value to a firm/client otherwise. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49854962) |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 4:57 PM Author: jet-lagged odious principal's office travel guidebook If? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49854964) |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 4:59 PM Author: jet-lagged odious principal's office travel guidebook See if he anything he does can be framed as Misconduct and fire him at that exact moment that you find out. This is the best way to avoid an unemployment tax hike. Not legal advice. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49854968) |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 5:00 PM Author: Marvelous tattoo lol brother he clearly doesn’t want to be working for you anyway (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49854970) |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 5:00 PM Author: bat shit crazy effete legend codepig How can you not fire someone billing so low? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49854971) |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 5:04 PM Author: Sexy becky Teach him the DBG method.
Also, if he only has 9 cases that means you probably aren't shitlaw and they are somewhat significant cases where the client will pay for the work...cases where you can spend 2 weeks and 30-50k drafting a good MSJ or brief and the client won't care. Those should be easy as fuck to bill.
If this kid is trying to keep accurate time and getting bogged down billing a bunch of .1s and .2s, you need to teach him how to block bill. |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 5:06 PM Author: flesh sticky jew kitchen How brown is this guy on a scale of jet black to Olivia Rodrigo (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49854999) |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 6:43 PM Author: wonderful school (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49855239) |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 5:06 PM Author: Indigo thriller mad-dog skullcap resort I had a senior associate voluntarily depart to a competitor firm
In the next 30-60 days after, we got sanctioned at hearings on 3 different cases he was "handling" (over $10k total) purely due to his failure to appear at hearings, failure to respond to 5 meet & confer emails sent in 50 days before a scheduled IDC, failure to ever respond to a request for a basic protective order
He also filed a brief with a hallucinated case that was somehow not flagged by the court |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 5:10 PM Author: lilac razzle hall I’d just talk to him but I don’t have a billable hour model.
In light of that fact, and the fact that you’ve already talked to him about it before, I would just noisily start looking for a replacement and hope he gets the message before the new hire is onboarded. |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 5:17 PM Author: gold racy theater immigrant Any of these things on its own is forgivable, especially for a junior associate. But people don't really change or get better significantly with stuff like this--not enterring billables, taking weeks to do simple tasks, missing important deadlines. It's not like he doesn't know how to draft a decent brief but will be fine once he has a few under his belt.
You said you lost confidence in him, and I doubt you'll get it back. You should look for a more competent replacement. You're not doing either of you any favors by stringing him along for a couple more months if he's not going to improve.
BTW, this is partly on you for not noticing 3 sub-20 hour months in a row sooner. |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 5:25 PM Author: peach galvanic selfie This is cr except the hours are almost entirely on op. He knew he was hiring a dipshit noob and the money belongs to op. If he can’t be bothered to run a productivity report at least once a month he deserves it. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49855051) |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 5:52 PM Author: Cream Costumed Locus fine, I accept that part. but do I cut the associate any slack for it? I mean, to be fair, he has been skating for a bit. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49855119) |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 6:09 PM Author: gold racy theater immigrant No. There are some fundamental things like not missing deadlines and entering billables that you get or you don't. He doesn't. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49855151) |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 7:22 PM Author: peach galvanic selfie I would give one pass on time entries. Not the rest. Either way, there's the door. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49855334) |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 8:07 PM Author: 180 partner range I don't get attorneys who don't enter their time.
That's the whole fucking point.
It's like one step removed from having a job and not cashing your paycheck. |
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Date: April 30th, 2026 9:13 PM Author: bipolar aromatic legal warrant public bath Is there that big of a difference between shitlaw associates and the median v20 biglaw associate? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49855705) |
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Date: May 1st, 2026 1:02 PM Author: doobsian mediation trailer park I think you have a claim that you're firing him for time fraud... i.e. he supposed to work 40 hrs a week but is only billing 5-10 per week. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49856954) |
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Date: May 1st, 2026 1:03 PM Author: Red rehab what's his moniker? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5862102&forum_id=2)#49856959) |