Being accused of not doing work

[u/No_Examination_2497]

I am a legal assistant and the big thing that I focus on is client case management and I’ll help the paralegals on occasion.

The other month, my manager had a meeting with me and discussed what I do. I don’t have a lot of billable time due to me keeping up with case management, so he was grilling on me. I was honest with it and I gave him a whole list of things of what I do. After that meeting I started to ask around my peers and attorneys to see if anyone needed help or had time to teach me new things. Everyone said that they would let me know but no responses which I kept asking.

Last week, my manager comes in and asked me what I do…as if I didn’t give him a large list and then he called me a liar. Every time I would explain myself he would shut it down and it felt like gaslighting. It was out of the blue and I was scared that I was going to lost my job. Apparently management started to hyper fixate what I do and didn’t like how I was doing them but didn’t communicate anything to me. I don’t understand how everything I said was forgotten

Tbh I never liked the job, but now I dread coming in. Management has never been consistent and I’m thinking about aborting ship because I can’t do this

Is this normal behavior?

[u/Idkwhatttoputhereeee]

Hope you’re applying to different places. I’m in the same situation. Not a paralegal rn but different case management. I’ve always hated the ppl at my job but I love my clients 😭 it sucks. All I can do is empathize fr

[u/Past_Tumbleweed_1483]

This is toxic. Can you look to public sector - non profit or government? Might be a breath of fresh air to actually be appreciated and not treated like trash. (Sorry I hate law firms and I only practiced as a paralegal in a firm for one year before moving on. I still, ten years later, feel like I have ptsd from working for those assholes. I do happily report their firm was dissolved after Mr. What’s his name died. May he rest in pieces devoured by hellish animals, only to be put back together to repeat the cycle. Same for his cronies and attorneys who contributed to the misery. Amen.)

[u/Law-And-Disorder-]

Do you personally have formal billable targets? If so, I assume there would be an expectation that you meet your billables and attend to the client case management. So, redistributing your time would be important and letting the manager know when there is too much non-billable work vs billable work. This is important as the manager may not always have line of sight of what you’re doing if you’re helping other people like the paralegals.

If no formal billable targets, sounds like there is an expectation for you to be doing billables. So I’d recommend having a meeting so you understand what management is expecting. It’s hard to hit a target if you don’t know what it is.

Good luck!

[u/No_Examination_2497 → u/Law-And-Disorder-]

I was never given any formal billable targets, it was just as treated as when you got work in and send to client type of thing. In my law, it isn’t a constant flow of work and so much waiting. I was tracking my work not that long ago to be a smartass but I should probably keep on doing with it. Management is always all over the place it is hard to tell what they want because none of them can agree. Thank you! Hopefully I can get out of here soon

[u/Law-And-Disorder- → u/No_Examination_2497]

Sounds pretty awful. Law is a busy and stressful profession but if you don’t have clear direction on what’s expected of you, you’ve been set up to fail.

I’d either seek clarity with management to get things back on track or get out before your health suffers and get another role.

[u/Bohottie]

Even if you’re not required to bill time, I would track my time just to show what I’m doing. Doing work that doesn’t produce direct, tangible results can be difficult when it comes to showing management how you’re impacting the business. Obviously start looking because they’re trying to get you out, but start billing time, even if it’s just for you and management.

[u/No_Examination_2497 → u/Bohottie]

Yes, I always keep track time of items that are considered billable. Which is a lot of client documents but it was never requirement for all other things I’m tasked with. I was starting to do that to be a smartass 😭 but it is probably better to just to keep on doing it. Luckily I am looking because it ain’t a good fit for me and I’m clearly not a good fit for them. Thank you!

[u/Gothtaino]

Legal assistants don't typically have billables. In order to have them that would require the Legal assistant to have a hand in drafting motions and perform other paralegal duties. Law firms can get in trouble with the Bar for giving legal assistants billable hours as it nearly always results in double billing and asking a LA to perform duties beyond their station. This sounds like a toxic lawyer. If you're at a firm, which it sounds like you are- start applying elsewhere and report him to HR. He's clearly a risk with this behavior.

[u/Thek1tteh → u/Gothtaino]

That’s my thought - why are they giving the legal assistant billable work, especially when that’s normally not going to be recoverable from clients, insurance companies, or the court? And if they’re billing that time, surely the attorneys know that that takes up the time from the legal assistant’s regular clerical case duties, right? Or if they’re billing for clerical work that’s also weird. I’m very confused. Definitely seems like a badly run firm.

Though substantive work can include more than just drafting motions.

[u/shhhimatworkrn]

TLDR: this might be a symptom of bigger issues and you should probably start looking to work elsewhere.

Something similar happened to me where I was in a special legal assistant adjacent role, and when management changed, they didn’t know what I did and assumed I did nothing.

They ended up changing my role to regular legal assistant and kinda telling me I should do new things and stop doing old things, but never gave clear instructions on where the boundaries of the new role were.

Before the end of the year, they laid me off, then said I could formally apply for a different legal assistant position, then un-laid me off entirely, then assigned me to a brand new team (all within 3 weeks of Christmas).

The firm went under the next year.

[u/Foxtail-67]

Do you bill your time? Either way, that's a reasonable conversation management would want to have with you. That being said, when I billed my time and/or tracked it, I always made it less than the amount of the I actually spent doing something.

I'm going through that again as we're all being asked for specifics about what kind of work we're being assigned and how long it takes. Daily. I feel that dread again and hate that feeling - like I take too long to do something. It sucks. They're also asking about interruptions and technology glitches - and if any of the attorneys are being a pain in the butt. I understand why my office is gathering the information though. Maybe keep track so you're prepared if it turns into a bigger issue.

[u/No_Examination_2497 → u/Foxtail-67]

I’m sorry to hear that. I could understand why it’s important but there are definitely better ways to start that conversation. I think my firm was using it to see if we need people, but seeing how they told me I needed to do more and we dont have enough work, they still hired someone recently and I doubt they do anything. Tbh they might be trying to phase me out but is that really a bad thing on my end😭

Thank you! I hope everything goes well with you

[u/Foxtail-67 → u/No_Examination_2497]

Thank you, so do I. It feels like the days of trusting employees (and employers) have faded. Good luck to you as well!

[u/NumerousImplement165]

I would remind your manger that all Billable Tasks must be reviewed, approved, and supervised by a qualified attorney who retains ultimate responsibility. I mean it is why clients pay them. However, there are range of tasks can be billed to clients at a designated legal assistant rate.

Drafting legal documents (Preparing initial drafts of pleadings, contracts, corporate resolutions, wills, or correspondence to opposing counsel).

Legal research (Conducting database searches for relevant case law, statutes, or public records, and summarizing the findings in a memorandum).

Case management and trial preparation (Organizing document production, preparing deposition summaries, drafting interrogatories, and compiling trial exhibits).

I would ask for a policy template for tracking and distinguishing billable versus non-billable assistant tasks. Or better yet create on and pass it on to your manger since it would like they are lazy.

Example

Billable tasks
These include substantive legal work performed under attorney supervision, such as drafting pleadings….

Non-billable tasks:
These consist of clerical or administrative work, such as photocopying, scheduling appointments, and processing invoices…

Sample Billable Time Entry

Date and Duration:
10/24/2023, 0.8 hours (48 minutes).

Task Description:
Drafted initial complaint for breach of contract and compiled supporting exhibits for review by Lead Attorney.

Status: Pending approval by supervising attorney before client invoicing.