- Quickdraw McLaw
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Today, we have a question from a reader. How do you know when it is time to move on from your current job? Is there a specific amount of time you should stay at a job before looking elsewhere? Should you be trying to find the perfect job you can stay at until you retire? Should you wait until things are bad to leave? Is it okay to stay put if you’re making good money, but don’t love what you’re doing? Thoughts?
When you wake up in the morning and you're gripped with anxiety before you even roll out of bed, it's time to move (and probably talk to a psychologist/therapist)
It's always wise to quit before they fire you.
Is it though? If you get fired, you can collect unemployment and take your time looking for the right job. If you quit, you might end up jumping straight into the wrong situation.
It would be different if you lined up something else first, of course.
You can't get unemployment if there is good cause to fire you.
Sort of. You're disqualified from unemployment if you were discharged for misconduct. NRS 612.385.
Whether a discharge was for misconduct is a question of fact. Being a poor employee =/= misconduct. The question is whether there was a wrongful aspect to your work. Had you been adequately informed that your performance was sub-par, and given an opportunity and tools to improve, but still failed do so? Might be misconduct. File and force them to prove it.
I left one employer on very bad terms and they tried to contest my unemployment claim for a second. But then they realized that they had nothing documented and withdrew their objection. Of course, if they had gone through with it, I would have had an easy time showing that they were full of it.
10:34 is exactly right.
If you think you going to get fired, look in the mirror. The problem is either your a disagreeable person or you are not performing. Leaving for another job withot fixing your problems is just transferring your slacker attributes to a new employer.
I know someone who was one of the top employees in a firm, until he told a partner that he believed the employees all deserved to be treated like adults. Within a month, he was fired — without notice or severance. Was he a disagreeable person, in that situation or in general? I don't think so, but I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion.
11:58
out of context to the above. What you describe is deliberate action intended to be offensive to the person's employer. And for the slacker's thinking unemployment compensation, there was probably more to the story than 11:58 describes, likely involving insubordination.
DETR NEVER finds misconduct. I have tried multiple contests there on behalf of employers and the employers LOSE every single time. Its not even worth it anymore. One was a property management company that fired a PM for refusing to sign a lease with a guy because he was black (big luxury home). Owners of the company, caught it in time and overruled her and sent her packing. We lost in front of DETR.
Is it really worth it to get fired and collect that $450 a week? That barely covers the lease on your 5 series Beemer AND your student loan payments.
12:42 p.m., I disagree. I've defended against a misconduct finding at a referee's hearing and lost. Misconduct findings do happen. Did the employer have a clear rule or clearly communicate its expectations before the employee engaged in misconduct? And there has to be some evidence of a knowingly wrongful act by the employee. It's has to be more than mere negligence. Basically it boils down to how well the employer has documented the case of wrongful conduct.
So you think everyone who gets fired has "slacker attributes"? I have seen the most talented members of firms get fired because they had the nerve to ask for a decent salary, or they out performed a jealous partner.
If you're buying in to the whole "doing what you love" myth you're thinking about things the wrong way. If you love what you do, then congratulations: it's going to intrude on the other areas of your life. If you hate what you do enough, it's going to intrude on the other areas of your life (see, e.g. what 8:55 is describing).
Find something that's intellectually interesting enough so you don't die of boredom and lucrative enough to compensate you fairly for the amount of your life you will waste worrying over other peoples' problems. It's probably going to take you a few years to figure out where the intersection of those two things is for you – it's different for everyone.
I feel like the newest generation of lawyers, let's say from about Boyd '13 on, don't feel obligated to spend their entire career in one place (more than prior generations). They are more likely to jump ship after a year if they are not happy. I don't think that is totally terrible. Personally, I'm still of the mindset that you should put in several years somewhere before moving on, but that really depends on the circumstances.
As I get older — I'm in my 40s now — I have less and less feeling of "loyalty" to employers. I have learned through experience that employers don't have loyalty to me, so why should I owe them any? This is a business transaction. We're not friends.
For the most part, I agree with that sentiment. There are still a few employers out there that truly care about their employees as individuals rather than just fungible billing units. If you get lucky and found one of those few that care about you as a person, your professional development, etc than they deserve a great deal of loyalty in return. If, however, they view you as disposable and stab in the back at the first opportunity, they deserve no loyalty from you.
The only loyalty I ever owed to am employer was when that employer was me. This was because I NEVER found an employer that was loyal to me. This is why I have been a solo litigator since 2002 (barred in 99)
Could not disagree more. Anyone who was here through the CD Boom of 99-07 knows the associates who moved 4 times in 2 years chasing an extra thousand here and $500 there. Grass was always greener. Many of those people can get you a great deal on a new Buick these days.
Being a buick saleman sounds like it would be a lot better than being a lawyer. Too bad I f'd up and had a family.
Twice in my life I felt that I had found a partner who truly cared about me and would look out for my interests. I was wrong both times. Sad but true.
4:15, spouse and former law partner?
Obviously if you are miserable leave, but keep in mind that while the grass may look greener, the other side of the fence is usually has the same misery potential.
As I was reading your comment, I was expecting it to end with the other side of the fence has the same crab grass and weeds.
I would gladly jump the fence for a yard full of weed.
Stop whining…jump already..
I need a yard full of weed first. Preferably that sweet sweet milf weed. Just 'cause it's legal doesn't mean it's cheap.
I think you should move if you get a good opportunity but make sure you time your exit properly to ensure you're not leaving a bonus on the table.
I am still a "young" lawyer and I have now been at numerous firms. I've been able to increase my base salary by over $40k in just a few years. If I would have stayed at my first firm I would be making far less than what I do now.
None of these firms are loyal to you. If you can't make them money they'll fire you in a heartbeat so why be overly loyal to them?
Because if you find a good situation with attorneys who will mentor you and help you build a practice, you are fantastic. If you work for numerous firms in a short amount of time, people come to treat you like the "rent-a-chairfiller" that you.
12:27 here. The field I practice in has a TON of turnover on both sides of the coin and I have unfortunately never found that good experience you are talking about. Sink or swim is the mentorship strategy in my field. What I did get by switching was a ton of really good experience that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise and also gained perspective on how different firms operate.
Also, we are almost all "rent-a-chairfillers" unless you have a nice book of business.
I'm mostly retired after 42 years of practice here. These comments make me sad. I got such great mentorship and supervision in my early years and I always encourage young lawyers to find the firm that will give them that in the first five years of practice. No wonder there are so many complaints about the conduct of newer lawyers.
I think you're in the minority, re having a great mentorship early on in your legal career.
It's great that you encouraged younger attorneys to search this type of mentorship out.
However, the amount of passive-aggressive and even narcissistic behavior I have seen come from partner attorneys early on in my career has been nothing short of amazing. Attorneys WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER but try to treat you less well than their pet rock and shame you for no reason.
(I've been here over 20 years and I will always call out this type of behavior now. Shuts it down really quick.)
I've even had a partner attorney in a very small insurance defense firm who I used to work for a long time ago say stuff like "I don't understand this word" when reviewing a letter or pleading that I had drafted. WTF? Stop acting stupid and look it up yourself if you don't understand it. Seriously.
And then that same attorney, many years after I worked for her firm, has the audacity to call me after she was assigned representation of a client who I was suing in a negligence-type of action, in an effort to get me to explain just HOW her client is negligent. She's one of the few attorneys in town who actually became "one" with her defense clients and acted butthurt whenever they were sued.
I always refused to take her calls and just waited until she filef an Answer or other responsive pleading to move this case along.
So…the blog site tag line refers to "Rumors" and "Gossip"
That's a lot more fun than today's post.
Everyone, let's try really hard next week for some juicy rumors and gossip.
We're coming down from the high point of last Friday–crazy judge and prostitute lawyer with a crazy, suspended lawyer spouse.
You mean like Boyd '13 giving yet another beat down?
25 year lawyer here. Boring but true: steady progress wins the race. If you are better than you were last month, stay. If you are the same or worse, look in the mirror then at your situation. Is the problem you or them? Act accordingly.
Eddie Money and Ric Ocasek in one week – wow I feel old!