Gift Giving Forum

[NYC2012]

$250 cash in a pretty card.

(I'm a 2nd year in Texas.)

Those of you saying you don't use your secretary—why on earth not? Why not utilize the person who is there to make your job easier? Expense reports, making travel arrangements, printing out cases for hearings, etc.

My secretary works for 2 partners in addition to me and 2 or 3 senior associates, so 99.9% of the time, it's quicker for me to do anything myself (their requests will always obviously be prioritized over mine).

[PorscheFanatic]

I just don't understand all of these "I do everything myself and never use my secretary" posts. Yes I'm new to Biglaw, but I've been given multiple assignments that when I've asked for guidance on how to do part of it, everyone just says "oh go talk to your secretary, she'll do that part for you."

Do you all actually know how to physically prepare bound closing binders and closing CDs? I haven't burnt anything to a CD in 10+ years. And someone has to design that cover for the CD case too...

It seems to me that if you're doing things like that yourself, you're either wasting time you could be billing (or time you could be at home if you have nothing else billable to work on) or if you're billing that time, you're grossly over charging a client. I'm pretty sure if a client found out it paid $360/hour for a first year like me to print and hole punch some documents and make CDs, they'd respond with "why the fuck couldn't their secretary do that?"

And as far as expense reports, my secretary won't even tell me how to do them. I've asked multiple times. She just says it's a waste and to give her all of my receipts.

[sublime]

I don't really use my secretary. Junior lit biglaw tasks vary a ton, and for most I do I don't need help. Every dollar I spend to make the people who make my life easier happy is a dollar well spent.

[Anonymous User]

I just don't understand all of these "I do everything myself and never use my secretary" posts. Yes I'm new to Biglaw, but I've been given multiple assignments that when I've asked for guidance on how to do part of it, everyone just says "oh go talk to your secretary, she'll do that part for you."

Do you all actually know how to physically prepare bound closing binders and closing CDs? I haven't burnt anything to a CD in 10+ years. And someone has to design that cover for the CD case too...

It seems to me that if you're doing things like that yourself, you're either wasting time you could be billing (or time you could be at home if you have nothing else billable to work on) or if you're billing that time, you're grossly over charging a client. I'm pretty sure if a client found out it paid $360/hour for a first year like me to print and hole punch some documents and make CDs, they'd respond with "why the fuck couldn't their secretary do that?"

And as far as expense reports, my secretary won't even tell me how to do them. I've asked multiple times. She just says it's a waste and to give her all of my receipts.

With the exception of the expense reports, these are all done by the Duplicating or Word Processing staff at my firm. I've only ever asked my assistant to send mail or process receipts.