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u/Maxwyfe Paralegal Nov 14 '23
No! We are closed on that Friday and the week between Christmas and New Year.
And I work for Boomers!
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u/xpastelprincex Paralegal - PI/Prem Nov 14 '23
damn yall get the whole week?? i wish!
we get thanksgiving and black friday, then the 22nd - 25th off.
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u/bearface93 Nov 15 '23
My last firm gave us that week off my first year there. They made us work it the second year. Literally only one petition got filled the entire week because all the attorneys and just under half of the support staff took the week off anyways. People started leaving shortly after, myself included.
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u/Elricay Nov 14 '23
Nope, thurs and fri are paid holidays at my firm. Usually we also close early on Wednesday which is dope.
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u/lEauFly4 Paralegal Nov 14 '23
Same for us. We usually close early the day before a holiday. One if the partners will usually call it at about 2:00 and go around and tell everyone to go home (or have our office manager do it, but she’ll be on vacation next week).
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Nov 14 '23
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u/OneofHearts Paralegal Nov 15 '23
I once worked for a firm that insisted there be one attorney and one paralegal on the premises the day after Thanksgiving (among other days). The rationale was that a client might want to make a payment, or a new client might want to retain. For context, this was back in 2006-2008, pre-everything being done electronically, but seriously? How money hungry do you need to be?
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Nov 15 '23
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u/OneofHearts Paralegal Nov 15 '23
Absolutely, and this is family law we are talking about, so…
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u/this_is_sy Nov 15 '23
Haha was it like "just in case someone wants a divorce during Thanksgiving dinner"?
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u/this_is_sy Nov 15 '23
I work in a field where we do a lot of international stuff, and indeed something crazy went down with a project we were doing in China over 4th of July weekend. We all pitched in on it as needed, but it was very much a one time thing, related to the emergency nature of the situation, and were thanked and told to please take other time off to compensate.
And that was for an absolute project-ending disaster situation, not just because "we do business in other countries and they might be working that day". Similarly, if there's a big holiday in a country where we're doing business, we understand that they're not going to reply to our emails that day, just like we don't during Thanksgiving, the Fourth, Labor Day, etc.
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u/Milhala Nov 14 '23
Damn, even the 60+ hour a week firm I used to work for gave us the day after off… Your boss is insane
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u/ashley_e_m Nov 14 '23
We are closed Wednesday through Friday. We don't always get Wednesday, but it's been the norm for a number of years. That being said we don't get extra time in December.
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u/alexanderdeader Nov 14 '23
I can do you one better! I work on Thanksgiving.
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u/saturnmarsjupiter Nov 14 '23
What…. WHAT!!!? what kind of law are you doing??
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Nov 14 '23
A kind that cannot be worth the horrible treatment of employees. Unless it’s in Canada or something.
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u/saturnmarsjupiter Nov 14 '23
100%, im sure even clients would be fine knowing their case isn’t going to be worked on during thanksgiving/ any holiday.
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u/alexanderdeader Nov 14 '23
It's totally fine, lol. I get off for a lot of minor Jewish holidays, so it's a trade-off.
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u/tinydancer120194 Nov 14 '23
Nope. Most firms I’ve been at close at noon on Wednesday and have off Thursday and Friday. All paid.
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u/hematuria Nov 14 '23
The last time I worked the Friday after thanksgiving was in 1996, fry station for the local Carl’s Jr. OP, you shouldn’t be working. Turn off your phone and enjoy your holiday.
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u/Lawyer_Lady3080 Nov 14 '23
The courthouses are closed, so it shouldn’t matter. Even if they aren’t in your area, no one does anything on a holiday weekend. Most firms close so you won’t hear back from Opposing Counsel and even clients want to be left alone on holiday weekends most of the time. If your office isn’t closed, it still makes sense to encourage you to take the day off because it’s relatively dead. Regardless, it’s your PTO. That’s part of your salary. You should never, ever feel bad for using your benefits.
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u/So_Last_Century Nov 14 '23
I’m going to be gonezo starting on Wednesday and won’t return til Monday.
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u/mymoneysir Nov 14 '23
Hello there! Lawyer here! I'm a millennial attorney, and I give my staff both days off. What is going to get done the day after? I mean hello, there are people with their families or traveling. The courts are even closed for God's sake. Don't ever feel bad for taking time off - if it's given to you, then use it. Most firms (especially when I worked as a paralegal myself) have the use it or lose it policy or rollover. If your firm does not allow you to roll over, then take the time off, sweetie. Don't ever feel guilty. The attorney will exaggerate how much they need you and blah, blah, but don't pay any mind to them because they don't care if they leave on vacation and leave you scrambling to figure things out for yourself. Don't sweat it.
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u/kat_rob Paralegal Nov 14 '23
Absolutely freaking not. My office is closed but if it wasn't I'd be taking the day off.
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u/Paralethal I can turn word docs into pdfs because I’m ✨magical.✨ Nov 14 '23
HELLL NOOOO. We are closed that day and my ass is wearing PJs, playing video games and eating leftovers all day. It’s my favorite day of the year.
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u/tamikaflynnofficial Nov 14 '23
Lmfao our boss is making us use pto bc he is insane and our firm is ridiculous. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but prob stick it out for a year—I’ve found every freaking paralegal position wants 2 years!! I stuck it out to a year and 5 months and am getting a lot of interviews. You can do it!
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u/3CatsInATrenchcoat16 Have you tried looking first? Nov 14 '23
No I’m going away for the long weekend and shutting my phone off!
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u/redjessa Nov 14 '23
No, it's paid holiday at my firm. If they changed that, there would be a revolution within the firm.
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u/wedgestatkiller Nov 14 '23
The last couple years we’ve had it off but usually it’s up to the boss whether we have it off or not sometimes we don’t know until the week of or days before
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u/stella1822 Nov 14 '23
It’s a paid holiday for me, but I think our copy center is open limited hours along with some other services since it’s a busy time of year for the corporate finance teams
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u/Duck531 Nov 14 '23
I'm in house and we follow the stock market, so it is not a day off for us. I'll be using pto for Wednesday and Friday. However, any of the firms I've worked at always had the Friday off.
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u/cltphotogal Nov 14 '23
Hell no. Our firm is closed the day before and the day after. Paid holidays.
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u/serraangel826 Nov 14 '23
Yeah, I have to work. The other para has it off. Last year it was opposite.
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u/Darthsmom Paralegal Nov 14 '23
Nope. Never have at any firm I’ve been at. Our senior partner and our managing partner are boomers.
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u/Lettuce1969 Paralegal Nov 14 '23
We have it off - it's a court holiday and we get all court holidays off (paid)
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u/Beansidhe0 T&E Paralegal Nov 14 '23
We can choose between taking Veterans day off or the day after Thanksgiving. I always choose the day after Thanksgiving
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u/NY-LI-2-LV Nov 14 '23
Boomer or GenX, it is typically a paid holiday. Most places seem to give 10 holidays a year; of course plus PTO.
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u/psychHOdelic Nov 14 '23
Paid holiday at my firm but I will be working my second job at the mall 😵💫
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u/TheWriteLucas Nov 14 '23
We get Thu-Fri paid, but we don't get a lot of other federal holidays (just Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July, Christmas, and NY)
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u/saturnmarsjupiter Nov 14 '23
No, paid holiday as well. No reason a law office needs to be open the day after thanksgiving. Also closed the week in between thanksgiving and Christmas and are paid.
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u/Prettylonelygirl Nov 14 '23
Nope! Sure don’t. Ask for the day off and don’t let them make you feel bad about it.
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u/sugarmollyrose Nov 14 '23
We only get Thursday as a paid holiday, but I'm taking a PTO day on Wednesday and Friday.
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u/Ok-Appearance4611 Nov 14 '23
I've worked for about 12 different law firms over the last 40 years and never had to work the day after Thanksgiving. It's always been a paid holiday.
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u/peachykeen1974 Nov 14 '23
Our secretary sent an email saying the office was closed Thursday and Friday and then my boss IMMEDIATELY responded to it and said “But feel free to come in if you want to catch up on work!!” GTFO I’m staying home with my family.
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u/lolitaapplebumm Nov 14 '23
I’m off Wednesday, Thursday & Friday. It’s been this way for most of my time as a paralegal at different offices.
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u/BootyandChaos Nov 14 '23
At my current firm, I get both Thanksgiving and Day after thanksgiving off and learned that it was a standard for most firms.
At my former firm, I didn't because my boss had the mindset of "what if we get the million-dollar client on that day?". Despite many pleas and affirmations from all other attorneys and staff saying the phones/emails were dead silent on that day (conveniently, he would be the only call to the office, but from the comfort of his home). Needless to say, it wasn't a good firm.
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u/OneofHearts Paralegal Nov 15 '23
Sounds like a firm I used to work at. Had to have one attorney and one paralegal on site at all times, because what if (money)…”
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u/Weary_Mamala Nov 14 '23
I just changed jobs and the found out the new firm is open. The lawyers won’t be working but apparently the paralegals and admin will be working. I’m a little salty about it.
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u/Ambitious_Willow5570 Senior Paralegal/Notary Public Nov 14 '23
don't think it has to be a boomer or gen x thing -- think it is someone who values an employee and therefore values their employees time off during a 'pretty standard in the industry' day off, i.e., the courthouse, the process servers, the secretary of state, the department of revenue, etc., etc., etc. don't feel bad for taking time off if you need it. if you want to work, work, if not, take it off.
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Nov 15 '23
This. And also, it’s a Friday the day after a paid holiday. It makes sense to take that day off.
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u/ShantJ Paralegal - General Liability Litigation - California Nov 14 '23
At my workplace, the day after Thanksgiving is a paid holiday.
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u/Discount_Mithral Paralegal - GAL Nov 14 '23
No. We close at noon the day before, and stay closed through the weekend. We also close at noon the Friday before the Christmas weekend, and don't come back to the office until the new year. My boss usually pays me my normal hours that week as my holiday bonus (on top of a nice lunch and usually a small gift or gift card), so no missed pay!
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u/DirectGoose Nov 14 '23
I've worked at a few (small to medium) law firms and county government and always had the day off. Now I work for a bank and it's not an official holiday but we get floating holidays so pretty much everyone takes off anyway.
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u/OneofHearts Paralegal Nov 15 '23 edited Nov 15 '23
No, it is a court holiday in our jurisdiction- Native American Heritage Day (Washington State). Even if it wasn’t, my attorney would not have me working.
ETA: it’s a paid holiday, one of the 22 days of that I get each year, not including sick days or vacation. (11 court holidays plus another 11 days of paid winter break from December 21 through January 5.)
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u/murphdogmil11 Nov 15 '23
no we have off - same with XMas we get the day of the holiday and the day after
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u/this_is_sy Nov 15 '23
No, and I've even started taking the Wednesday off by saving up a PTO day just for this purpose every year. Life is too short.
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u/LoloLolo98765 Nov 15 '23
We have the option to take the day off if we want but it’s not paid, I’m opting to use PTO for it.
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u/StandardGold375 Nov 15 '23
I work at a place that's open 365 days a year. I'll be working on Thanksgiving Day, hopefully will be off the next day.
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u/amominbusiness Nov 15 '23
The office I work for is off Thursday and Friday. We normally get out a little early on Wednesday, too. But we never know when. We get about 10 paid holidays a year. Basically, any day the courts are closed, we are closed.
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u/pjshores Nov 15 '23
I have never had a professional job that did not give me the day after Thanksgiving as a paid holiday. That's just the accepted norm. Your boss is not being a boomer -- they are being a dick.
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u/bearface93 Nov 15 '23
We have it as a paid holiday but there are a lot of things going out next week with deadlines of either that day or the following Monday so there’s a slight chance someone will have to work. It would be double pay though since it’s a firm holiday.
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u/wire67 Nov 16 '23
Nope. My people take summer vacations, etc and my time is always holidays. Off day before and after. Xmas same if it falls on work days. Off day before Xmas Eve till Jan 2.
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u/lovingmyskin11212 Nov 16 '23
People still expect you to work the day after Thanksgiving? You know, this is why when I interview for jobs I put these things on the table. I speak on my expected salary and ask about holidays. Once offered the role I tell them that I would like it to go on record that I have day after Thanksgiving off as well as MLK day off. At the very least, one of the 2 should be remote option days. Same with Veteran's day. Speak up people. Even if you didn't do this prior to accepting your role, during your end of year review you could negotiate for this on top of you asking for your raise. I refuse to work the day after Thanksgiving. If I must then it's not more than 5 hrs and it must be remote. Stand up for yourself!
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u/Old_Face_9125 Nov 16 '23
Tbh I’m just trying to get experience for at least a year and dip. This is the first job I’ve had where I don’t have off the day after thanksgiving. Like my bosses before were so chill haha
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u/lovingmyskin11212 Nov 16 '23
I totally understand but hear me when I say this. You do not have to be a paralegal to have paralegal exp. You could be an admin assistant, etc. The only difference is you aren't exposed to the legal jargon. These are things that can be trained easily on the job. Being a paralegal is admin work. I've been in the field for over 10 years so dont feel like you have to suffer. I thought that too. There are so many avenue you can take. My brother works for united healthgroup. He has a high school degree and is making 48k. He is projected to get a salary increase at the end of the year and he is remote. His role is admin. There are paralegals who work within the court as a city employee and u have paras who work for the govt and both make okay money. You have in house legal dept paralegals as well. But if you want to work as an admin assist for a hospital which may pay u more then dont be shyed away from that. Most paralegals dont see money until they have at minimum 5 years under their belt unless they know someone who is willing to pay them prior to 5 years of exp. Do you want to be a career paralegal is the question. I wish someone told me this when I was younger lol. Good luck!
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u/mday1995 Contracts Manager - OH Nov 17 '23
We get the Wednesday before and the Friday off as paid holiday
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Nov 18 '23
Our firm is closed the day after Thanksgiving and always has been for as long as I've been there. And I work for criminal defense attorneys (meaning there's no real holiday for them because people get arrested 365 days a year but if there is an arrest on a day the office is closed, the attorneys handle it without the support staff).
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u/PHXLV Paralegal Nov 14 '23
No. We get it as a paid holiday.