i know a guy that did this constantly, it was his schtick

you can pull it off for a few years before it catches up to you in biglaw since its so hard to let someone go

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2844439&forum_id=2#27598287)

you aren't important, he knows you aren't important, and he is pushing your work off to do work for people that are important.

this happens at every firm to of counsels and income partners. welcome to the pyramid.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2844439&forum_id=2#27601970)

Partners are such passive aggressive pussies that you can get away with murder.

These people pissed me off when I was in biglaw until I realized they are maximizing their returns on the system. These people just get it.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2844439&forum_id=2#27598313)

Again, this only works because your bosses are cowards.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2844439&forum_id=2#27598386)

I was on pace to bill 2400 my year. I went into the timesheet system our firm has and discovered that other associates were on pace for 1100 hours. Needless to say, I was fucking pissed. I was likely the best regarded associate (told by many partners) at my satellite firm office (around 12 associates).

I requested a meeting with the managing partner and laid out the facts above. His response that my work was great and the others did not have good work. I said that was awesome except that those people made the same salary I made without killing themselves like I was, so if he didn't like them, then they needed to get rid of them and find associates the firm could give work to in order to help me out. He literally said the firm would absolutely not consider firing anyone so long as it was in good economic health, and things would continue to remain as-is. I put in my two weeks notice on the spot.

Some firms seriously just will not fire people.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2844439&forum_id=2#27598606)

Plus, just as a matter of economics, obviously they could afford to pay superstar associate a larger base (or at least bonus) if they had fewer of these underperforming lawyers on hand.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2844439&forum_id=2#27601615)

as a partner i used to work for would say, you're not killing yourself at a firm for the salary you get, but for the partner profits should you get elected. it's not quite that easy, but there is a grain of truth in that. he also basically said that if you don't see yourself making at least $1M/year in the future, then you should do something else, bc biglaw is too demanding of a job to be making $300k a year as a Of Counsel.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2844439&forum_id=2#27598677)

Biglaw can't do that economically because they make their margins off the grinder associate and of counsel types. They realize that the slackers are just a cost of business, and if they manage to bill 100 hrs a month, the net cost may be zero.

Mat leave is the same thing. No firm makes money off mat leave - it's an experiment that failed because all the moms leave asap after taking the leave. But the firms are ok with eating the cost because of the marketing benefit.

What you should be upset about is that you are underpaid and are relying on some early 2000s get rich scheme of partnership that doesn't exist anymore. Even if you make partner, you'll be working your balls off, and you won't make much until years into it when, guess what, they will push you out if you aren't billing a ton of hours.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2844439&forum_id=2#27601372)