While on vacation this week, I received a text from a friend telling me that she was upset that her firm had sent out the salary increase letters and she felt her increase was so small it was insulting.
I told her that I preferred a small raise or no raise at all to a "pink slip" any day of the week.
I think it's safe to say that the days of big pay increases, fully stocked kitchens, and "dot-com" perks are pretty much over. Unless you're working in-house at google or somewhere, I don't suspect you're going to find law firms spending money lavishly on staff.
In fact, a couple of weeks ago, several large national firms announced staff reductions and early buyouts to qualifying employees.
That said, I think it's safe to assume that the role of the legal secretary has changed. No longer do firms call in "temps" when someone is on leave or vacation. They merely shuffle work assignments. I know some friends who tell me they have as many as ten attorneys to one desk. Bear in mind, the younger associates aren't looking for a typist and the legal secretary is not only the person who electronically files with the court, he is the one who also makes binders (another post for another day) and is a personal assistant to the attorneys, particularly, the partners.
In the coming weeks, I will be talking more about the changing role of the secretary and the paralegal.
But, keep in mind, if you don't get the raise you want, at least you have a job!
And for those of us in San Francisco, thank God, the transit strike appears to be over (at least for now).
Happy Friday!!
1 comment:
Very well written. That said - don't underestimate the value of a good, know-what-you're doing, legal secretary who rocks. Most legal secretaries are at least one to two generations ahead of those who are entering the profession in today's market. Most are in-between undergraduate and graduate school persons looking to earn enough money to keep afloat while looking ahead to what they consider "a non-clerical", management position. Unfortunately, too many legal secretaries have complained about handwritten drafts and now attorneys do a significant amount of their own word processing and has increased the ratio of attorneys to secretary. That is really sad because it's pennywise and pound foolish on the part of most firms. Attorney billing hours should not be used for word processing and making binders or for court filings. Client billed hours should be used for research and attorney-related work. I can understand an attorney doing rough drafts, but often times, we complain ourselves right out of a job. If I had my way, attorneys would still be using yellow pads and a #2 lead pencil to draft documents. That way, the secretary thinks about what he or she is typing and learns a whole lot about cases and the client is only paying for attorney-work product versus word processing. Just my 2 cents worth. Have a wonderful weekend.
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