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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 115 Comments · by

Tuesday’s TPS Report: Boutonniere blazer

Fashion· The Personal Shopper (TPS)· Wear to Work

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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. Boutonniere blazerFor this morning's TPS, I'm loving this boiled wool blazer from J.Crew. The contrast trim is interesting without being mumsy, and I love the pockets (particularly the third one). It's available in three colors (black, brown and gray) for $198 at JCrew.com. Boutonniere blazer Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail editor@corporette.com with “TPS” in the subject line. (L-2) Just a reminder, ladies — go vote!

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Comments

  1. houda

    I like this blazer, maybe under a white/ivory sheath dress, but I would mostly wear for dressy nights out.

  2. zee

    I *love* the grey. I’m generally a bit curvy for J. Crew so I stopped shopping there a while back. Anyone care to comment on how sizing compares to, say, Gap or the Limited?

    • lawDJ

      zee – I had the same issues but bought a suit there this season and the jacket seems to be cut more for hourglass types, not sure about dresses yet (that was usually my problem, have to buy two sizes too big and get fitted) but jackets I think I would give a try now. I love this one in grey!

  3. Parisienne

    I am crazy about this type of contrast piped blazer, but somehow would not wear it to work. This like certain types of plaid and certain types of tweed just does not look right for the workplace whether casual or not. Maybe it is too aggressively “preppy” or look like it belongs at a polo game or whatever of that nature. Maybe the word is “sporty”? I would wear it to a very causal daytime wedding, with a skirt that matches the piping. I would also wear it with jeans and a turtleneck on Saturday to go antiquing in some big city. I would not wear it to most places.

  4. Amy

    Love this blazer. J Crew also has some great velvet blazers for holiday parties.

    Also, wanted to share this GREAT dress I stumbled upon in Target over the weekend. I’m wearing today to work with grey tights, grey booties and grey cardigan http://www.target.com/Mossimo-Sheath-Dress-Neck-Detail/dp/B003M9RQ3A/ref=sc_qi_detailbutton. The dress was only $30 and I have received SO many compliments. It’s adorable. I am a lawyer and my office policy is for business casual so this dress works almost perfectly. I have an hourglass figure so spanx are required!

    • Ru

      I got this dress in the same color! Haven’t worn it to work yet but it is very nice.

      • luluaj

        I have the same dress in grey/black houndstooth. I love it – it also washes really well.

    • Anonymous

      I have that dress too and I’ve seen it mentioned repeatedly here on Corporette! Kat should just start a weekly Target feature :).

    • lawDJ

      I’ve got to get that dress! Saw it at the store but didn’t have time to try it on so I didn’t grab it. I did recently get the purple suede wedges everyone’s been talking about!

    • Blonde Lawyer

      Can you tell me how the length is in comparison to your body type? I have very long legs so I’m afraid this will be too short. I’m 5’7″, which isn’t that tall, but mostly legs, short torso.

      • MJ

        I have short torso, long legs and most target dresses, unfortunately, look like I am shopping my little sister’s closet. They just have that 2-3 inches too short look that makes you look totally silly.

        • tall girl

          I am 5’10 (long torso and long legs!)…I didn’t think this dress was too short overall, but the darts are about 2 inches higher than they should be on me so I had to pass. Such a bummer, I wish Target made tall sizes!

      • Anonymous

        I have a long torso and short legs (29″ inseam) and they hit me above the knee. I’m 5’4″.

      • Anon

        I’m the same height and also have long legs. I tried this on a while ago, and I don’t remember the length being completely inappropriate, but the shoulders were to broad for me.

      • former at associate

        i’m 5’7 with long-ish legs, but really long thighs, so stuff looks shorter on me. i have the dress in the grey and i love it – it hits me right at the knee.

    • carolina

      I have this dress, and also love it. But be warned: I washed and dried it, according to the instructions, and the dress fabric seems to have shrunk, but not the lining. So now the lining hangs out about an inch below the main fabric. I’m sure I can hem it, but haven’t done it yet. I didn’t notice shrink-age in any other part of the dress, just the length.

      I do love your styling suggestions though — coincidentally I was just shopping for gray booties this morning!

      • Anonymous

        The lining on mine is just a bit too long and it doesn’t seem to move with the dress. I need to get it hemmed. Also, this dress runs a size small in the purple fabric – I have the same dress in two colors/fabrics, and the herringbone one fits far more comfortably than the purple one.

        • Anonymous

          Oh, and I never put mine in the dryer, so it’s not due to that – it seems to just be a fabric/design flaw. For $30, whatever, no problem. I love the dress.

    • Elisa

      I wore that dress as part of my Joan Holloway costume for halloween! It fits great. It washed up ver nicely too. The other commenters are right about it being thicker and not as stretchy as the houndstooth or black, but I find that it also hides ‘imperfections’ better. I still wore Spanx though!

  5. surrounded by lawyers

    Can anyone recommend a good blemish concealer that doesn’t flake or fall off? So far I have only tried the rolling stick type from Neutrogena, and I’ve had it with the cakey appearance and the fact that it only seems to stay on for an hour.

    • lawDJ

      I really like Clinique’s “line smoothing” concealer. I found that with the right color it blends right into my skin and I can’t tell either that I have dark circles or blemishes. Seems to stay most of the day though if I’m doing something at night I usually reapply.

      • AEK

        I like this, too, although it’s not specifically designed for blemishes (no salicylic acid or the like). It provides good coverage and blending, including over redness.

    • anon

      Depends on how heavy duty you need. For really tough areas, I suggest Laura Mercier secret camouflage. It’s very thick and comes with two colors to blend together. Also, make sure to set it with the sheer powder — it comes with some of the starter kits she sells. It’s great, but I find it a bit much for every day unless I’m really breaking out. For every day, I really like the bobby brown kind that comes in a round package with setting powder underneath. It’s a little more pliable and easy to use. I’ve also had good luck with trish mcevoy. Both are heavy enough to cover small blemishes, but not too thick.

    • MJ

      Maybelline Super Stay 24-Hour concealer. Comes in a tube. Don’t get one of the other Maybelline ones–this one is the best. I have to get two colors and blend, but it has excellent coverage, not cakey and looks really natural when I finish my face off with MAC Studiofix or Bare Minerals.

    • surrounded by lawyers

      Thanks, ladies! If anyone has more suggestions please feel free to add. I will venture from my desk around 3 pm to make a purchase…

        • NYC

          Meant to add this to the make up thread a while ago…I got TimeBalm from Sephora and have been loving it. It is for under your eyes but is also an all around concealer. I use it with a little concealer brush. I’d never found a concealer I liked before — they always looked too cakey and seemed to call more attention to the problem.

          • Anonymous K

            I am a little behind, but have you tried the new Liquid TimeBalm? It’s great for blemishes! (It has tea tree oil.) I now use that for blemishes and the original TimeBalm for undereyes. (And I sometimes throw in my MUFE concealers-HD for undereyes and Full Cover for blemishes.) Basically, I am obsessed with all things make-up. I really do love The Balm as an overall brand, though. A lot of people miss it because it takes up such a small area in each Sephora store, but they really ahve some great products.

    • Anonymous

      Benefit – Boing industrial strength concealer. conceals EVERYTHING or mac fluid fix, just stipple it on..since it offers medium to heavy coverage depending how you layer, it can act as a concealer. if you get NC, the yellowish undertones will conceal the red.

  6. Emily I

    I like most of the things about this, but the fact that the contrast trim appears to just end arbitrarily at the bottom kind of bugs me. I don’t know if the answer is to take the trim all the way around the bottom (might be equally as random). I guess it’s a “no” for me.

    • nonA

      I didn’t like it in the black/white combo and couldn’t put my finger on it – but I think you just nailed it! OTOH, I really liked it in the grey and brown, where the contrast is more subtle.

      Sigh … boiled wool blazar and tweed pants are both on my fall/winter wish list, and I love the ones featured this week except for their prices!

    • Anonymous

      I agree. I have a similar blazer with piping that goes all the way around the bottom and I like that look much better.

    • Amy H.

      This is the exact reason I will not buy this blazer — otherwise I would! I can’t stand when companies do this — why just stop the trim at an arbitrary point under the pockets? How hard/more expensive could it possibly be to just continue the trim around the back? I think that would look 100 times more polished. As it is it looks like they ran out of piping. Gah.

      • Another Laura

        It’s a traditional tailoring technique. The trim normally stopped where the princess seamimg hits the bottom hem. I agree it looks funny on the black/white version.

  7. Blonde Lawyer

    Kat:

    Today you have a va va voom Victoria’s Secret ad on the banner to the right. I think when you do your lingerie posts it triggers those kinds of ads. If there is no way to ban the ads then I would suggest not doing the lingerie posts or at least not doing them during the week. The images end up being not safe for work!

    • Ballerina girl

      I’m kind of surprised by how worried people are about bra ads at work? Are we seriously at such puritanical offices? Each office is different for sure, I’m just surprised–it never occurred to me that those would be worrisome for folks.

      • Anonymous

        Well, considering that my workplace blocks VS, Fig Leaves, and all other sites specializing in undergarments (including Hanes, which I discovered when trying to order stockings!), I would rather not have lingerie ads pop up on my screen.

      • Blonde Lawyer

        It’s harder to pretend to be working! People don’t notice blogs right away but they do notice boobs!!

  8. Fiona

    Ooooh I love this, especially in the gray. A trip to J. Crew might be in order…

  9. SF Bay Associate

    Jcrew is doing 25% off all orders of $150+ with code FALLSALE.

    Also, Nordstrom.com just did a TON of markdowns, and now it’s free shipping with $100 (normally $200) with code HOLIDAY10.

  10. Ms. Basil E. Frankweiler

    Got some more birthday codes to share.

    Banana Republic: 15% off; One Time Use; Code: PQTDJV2XD7PJ
    Newport News: $15 Gift Card; No Minimum Purchase; One Time Use; Gift Card Number: 6006496700505967874; Pin: 0656

    Question: Some time last week, someone asked for outfit ideas around a pair of lace pumps from Ann Taylor. When asking, the person made sure to mention that she would never wear them to work. My question is why? Are they really inappropriate if the rest of your outfit is subdued? (I envision them peeking from under a pair of black pants.) Thanks in advance.

    • Anonymous

      I think satiny or lacy pumps are for evening, not work. There’s nothing per se inappropriate about them, but they aren’t business attire, either.

    • zee

      I agree – especially lace seems sort of evening or even suggestive (which is silly, but I find it to be true).

    • MelD

      I don’t see anything wrong with them, but like everything else, it probably depends on the workplace. People wear some pretty crazy shoes in my workplace and the lacy pump really doesn’t seem inappropriate at all in comparison.

    • Forestgirl

      I made a similar comment to the original questioner–one of the girls on the Cubicle Chic blog wears a pair of similar lace pumps all the time in the her work outfits, and I always think it looks nice and work appropriate, but I agree that it depends on how formal your workplace is.

  11. Short Arms

    What do you ladies think about cuff links on women? I have short arms and button-front shirt sleeves are always too long. Can you use cuff links to turn them up neatly? Would this be work-appropriate in a fairly formal but not conservative business setting?

    And do any of you have suggestions for where to buy cuff links that don’t look like something my grandpa would wear?

    • Anonymous

      Admittedly I don’t wear cuff links, but I don’t think they can be used to shorten the sleeves of a shirt – I think the sole function is to close the cuffs…

      ?

    • RR

      Cuff links are fine on women. I have several french cuff dress shirts. I have a pretty basic set of silver and black cuff links that I got at Talbots years ago. I also love the Thomas Pink cuff links.

    • Sarah J.

      I love cuff links! I really like the ones that look like knots. If you go to a site like etsy, you can find all sorts– I found a lot of cute ones after searching “pearl cuff link,” but there are also more quirky ones.

      That said, the cuffs of shirts that require cuff links are double long and made specifically for cuff links. I would imagine that if you want to reduce the length of the sleeve by the length of the entire cuff (that is, by folding the entire cuff back, not just half the cuff) a talented tailor could make *something* work, but it might not look how it should.

      • Anonymous

        Oh, boo. You can’t just put them on a regular shirt and turn up the sleeves? Double long cuffs would negate the point for me, you’re right. Thanks though!

        I can get the sleeves shortened, but getting every single shirt I buy tailored is expensive. As a result I just never wear button-fronts, but I like them and was hoping I’d found a way to make them work.

    • bizzy

      I have a couple of blouses with french cuffs, which require cufflinks. Unfortunately, Short Arms, cufflinks only work with shirts with french cuffs. So this won’t solve your problem! Have you tried petite sizes?

      As for where to get cufflinks – I borrow my husband’s. But he’s something of a dandy, and has some very pretty ones. I often find him interesting cufflinks in secondhand stores, though this year I was considering shopping for some at etsy.com as a time-saver.

    • Another Sarah

      Me + Cufflinks = <3 :-D

      I got my first pair at Kohl's; I just picked out the most feminine-looking ones (small silver bars). The rest I've either bought or received off esty.com. And yes, you can really only use them with french-cuff shirts. Although if you have a shirt with a double cuff that buttons, you could probably take out the button, have your tailor turn it into a button-hole, and Voila! instant french-cuff shirt!

      I'm dying for those cufflinks that look like little sushi pieces, or the ones where one is a cake and the other is a piece of cake. But at $50 for cufflinks that I'm not going to wear anytime soon is rather steep.

    • D

      I got my silver cuff links (that look like knots) from the men’s side of Brooks Brothers

  12. anon for this

    thread hijack!
    I’m a first year in biglaw. the firm lowered our billable hour requirement because they didn’t expect there would be enough work for us and required that we do more prof development activities to reach the normal hour total. they also for the first time made first years non-bonus eligible. now its nov. 1st, i reached all billable and prof dev rquirements, am not bonus-eligible and am staffed on a matter about to go to trial which will easily force me to bill 500 hours in the next 2 months with no additional comp. meanwhile, other first years go home at 2pm because they’re done for the year with no incentive to keep working. we just had a mtg that made clear they won’t change their minds about bonuses for first years this year b/c its too late, but next year they will change it! i feel completely miserable! thoughts or advice?

    • Anonymous

      Be glad you have a job?

      Seriously, yes, it is disappointing that you won’t see monetary reward for all your extra efforts and hard work, but I would focus on the skills you are sharpening and that you’ll have a lot of great experience for your resume.

      • lawDJ

        Totally agree. That said, don’t take on anything else other than this project. But seriously, this will reflect very well in the future for you (and I don’t think it’s unheard of for bonuses in the future to be based partly on your work this year, especially if your firm has any kind of “soft” categories to determine bonus amounts). After the trial/matter is over, take a well-deserved vacation and recharge.

    • associate

      I see many good things that can come from doing the extra work. Is your firm lockstep? If not, and when it comes time for annual reviews, I’d try to leverage the extra hours as justification for a raise. In addition to the pure hours you’re putting in, you’re also gaining experience. The experience alone should make you more valuable. If they are lockstep, maybe you will become more immune to firing because of the experience. Do you like being an attorney? If you do and want to get out of big law down the line, the extra experience could make you more marketable. I having a really hard time seeing why this would make you miserable… But dont take my word for it: http://lawshucks.com/2010/05/stepping-up-to-the-plate/

      • anon for this

        i realize it sounds a little silly because you are all right re: experience, but i’ve been working 12+ hours throughout the year, working weekends, for significantly reduced comp than this position usually pays, and even cut short the one vacation i took this year to get back to work earlier. other 1st years at the firm seem to have gotten less demanding work throughout the year (doc review from home) and now barely even show up to work/leave absurdly early. nov/dec are typically slower around here and i really had been looking forward to a break! maybe it’s just seeing my officemate stroll out the door everyday at 2pm with an obnoxious grin on his face that’s getting to me…

        • Id.

          Think about me sitting home desperate to work 12+ hour days and take home any paycheck.

        • Another Sarah

          And me, doing temp-foreign-doc review. And my friend who just got laid off from her attorney job. And my other friend who has to depend on her local elections today to see if she will even be able to apply for a job.

          If you would like someone who will stay as late at the office as you AND not give you an obnoxious smile when she leaves, have your firm give me a call. Seriously. :-)

        • divaliscious11

          So, please don’t take this the wrong way, but seriously????

          Wait until the end of the year to see what you actual numbers look like…and I don’t mean what you billed, but what amount of your work the firm was actually paid for…. that will tell you more than anything if your comp was really reduced. It may be that you were in fact over paid. And I am not making a personal value judgment on your individual worth or work, but as a former biglaw first year, a significant chunk of my work was written down, not because it wasn’t good quality, but because when you are still learning, it naturally takes you longer to do the same work as someone more experienced, but the client isn’t going to pay for it. As someone who will not pay for first year work, I see the write downs……

          • anon

            I understand this as a general critique of the law firm pay structure, but I don’t think it does anything to address the poster’s concern. She is working many times harder than her coworkers for equivalent comp, and that comp happens to (probably) be lower than she expected it would be when she was in law school, and lower than next year’s first year comp will be. It’s a very frustrating situation!

          • anon for this

            obviously the write offs are happening for my colleagues who now leave at 2pm as well — i get how the structure works. my problem is more that they hedged what they needed to pay 1st years because they didn’t think they would have work for us to do. turns out they do have work for us to do, and i’m doing whatever work comes my way at the rate that it shows up, while others are hiding under their desks with an out of sight out of mind approach since they won’t be compensated “extra” for doing “extra” work

            and please understand that i know how grateful i should be (and am) for this job in this economy. like i said before, most of my friends that i graduated with remain jobless and are hunting for something stable, so everyday to have these minor “problems” which are really just blessings. i think i could just really use a vacation or down time during the holidays and it won’t be coming.

            thanks for everyone’s input today, it definitely helped to refocus my attention on the positive sides of this.

    • Anon

      Suck it up. You’re getting great experience, you are earning goodwill within the firm (if you don’t blow it by complaining about no additional comp) and everyone has their crappy years as attorneys. That’s part of the job. I’ve never thought my salary is appropriate for when I’m not busy. The reason we’re paid lawyer salaries is to compensate us for the times in our life when the firm takes our life. Anyone who never gives up their life for their job in biglaw won’t last long.

    • Anon

      If there is another round of layoffs, you’ll be safer than they will. My first year I was staffed on a four month long trial and at one point billed over 400 hours in one month. My bonus was $1,500. Since that trial, I’ve been fighting for hours and in my last 2 reviews have been told I have to get my hours up even though there isn’t enough work to go around. I never thought I’d be praying for another big trial again but I’m dying for one because I worry about additional layoffs.

    • Anonymous

      I totally get it.

      However, I would avoid showing your frustration to your peers at work, at all cost. First of all, it obviously won’t help your relationships with them if you highlight how much harder you are working. But also: remember (as Anonymous 1:48 pointed out) what you are currently getting that they are not. They might not show it, but some of them (at least) probably feel humiliated or bored to have so little on their plates. They might see you as the star, and feel like they’re not getting any chance to prove themselves, learn the practice, or build real working relationships with the partners. They did not have any more choice in this than you did. I know your situation sucks, but theirs kind of does too. Tread lightly.

      • L

        Exactly. No one wants to be the third year who has never done much more than doc review and research for someone else’s writing. You’re going to build on the experience you have. No, you’re not going to be paid more this year, but you will very likely get yours–whether because people higher up are taking notice of who’s leaving early and who’s working their tail off (and they are) resulting in more interesting work and a faster career trajectory, or because you can channel your skills into a different, more appealing job. You are making opportunities for yourself, while others are just getting by (probably unhappily). Be patient.

    • Anon

      I feel for you. This seems extremely unfair. Take the long view. Try not to focus on how easy they have it–in the end, they are neither developing their skills nor building relationships with partners and other influencers. It’s shocking to me that your firm is allowing people to go home at 2 pm and I don’t see how they are helping themselves. Something seems very wrong there. At the very least they could be writing articles, pro-bono work. How are they going to get new work if they are not at work? The incentive to keep working is to not get fired and get experience. It will be awesome to be able to say “I have trial experience.” Not many first years do. In fact many 4th and 5th years don’t. I do hope they find a way to make this up to you, but don’t dwell on your resentment, you will only end up hurting yourself. If your mentor or department head or someone else is willing to go to bat for you, then try that route, but don’t go around whining about it, it doesn’t look good.

      • anon for this

        THANK YOU for all your positive thoughts, i do feel like my experience this year has been more substantive and rewarding as compared to many others and i appreciate it too (esp because most of my law school friends are unemployed or on the one-year fellowship track, all of which are ending). i just hope that the hour discrepancy doesn’t get ignored and fall through the cracks come review time. i’m not sure who this system is even helping. gotta just keep chugging along and plan a spring vacation…

        • Anonymous

          I’m sure it won’t be ignored/fall through the cracks when it comes to evaluating your performance. It may, however, from the sounds of things, be ignored when it comes to determining your next year’s comp/bonus. If this is the worst that happens, you are a lucky BigLaw associate these days!

        • a lawyer

          Just joining in the chorus of advice not to complain or whine about the long hours. Believe me, people do not want to hear it, maybe because it makes them feel guilty or unsuccessful themselves. I’ve been exactly where you are and I know how hard it is not to resent the slackers, for lack of a better word.

          Anyway, this really can be something positive for you–just hang in there and do the work. The experience will be great for your future, and be sure to note all the long hours in your review and before bonus time next year. Plan a nice long vacation for afterwards.

        • Anon

          If I may be brutally honest, as a first year at biglaw, you are already being paid way more than you’re worth. I know it feels “unfair” because you are comparing yourself to what you see as your more fortunate colleagues, who are (for at least this year), making more money per hour than you. But as many people have said, it’s really not about that. It’s about building your skill set and your reputation, which will net you way more money (not to mention the more important stuff, like feeling successful and confident in your career, feeling supported by your firm, feeling challenged and as though you have great opportunities) in the end. Stop being so short-sighted. Is the work you’re doing interesting? Are you intellectually involved? Do people give you responsibility? If so, isn’t that worth WAY more than some stupid bonus?

          I know you’re tired and burned out right now. I know you can’t see past what seem like obvious inequities. But please try to get some perspective. Even if the hour discrepancy “falls through the cracks,” so what? There is more to it than that.

    • rg

      I don’t know if this is something that your firm can do, but my brother’s firm (I’m not an attorney) has a few clients who pay flat fees. For associates, they will sometimes distribute their “billed” hours across two years (only in terms of making hours internally, not for the clients, obviously). My brother, who seems to often be in your situation with more hours than his peers, complains to me that this can reduce his bonus hours. But it also means that in theory he could slow down after working a lot one year (he never does).

      Maybe there is some way for you to “credit” extra hours to next year…either to meet billing requirements or toward a bonus? I suspect it’ll be hard to wrangle extra compensation, but surely the extra work can work toward your benefit within the firm somehow. It would be great if you can actually get the extra hours to “count” somehow, but for sure it can help your review and possibly any merit-based raise if your firm has such a thing.

      • rg

        One other thing to keep in mind, everyone at my brother’s firm *loves* him…and he’s the go-to associate for their biggest client (something that happened after his first year). Compensation isn’t always monetary, and if you intend to stay at your firm long term, this kind of experience and demonstrated hard work could really help your chances at making partner.

      • anon for this

        that’s really interesting! i’m hoping that some of my hours from nov/dec this year can “count” for 2011, but with such a big bureaucracy and with so many deferred associates, i think it’s risky to be too too optimistic

    • HeyNonnyNonny

      Just work like a champion. This is an opportunity, not a punishment. Maybe you don’t get the bonus you think you ‘deserve’ but you get the experience and the chance to prove yourself. No whining.

    • Short Arms

      Chin up! If the firm does layoffs (seems likely), all the folks going home at 2pm will be out the door and you will still be working 12-hour days.

      Also, as someone working in a field where bonuses are unheard of, I think it’s a bit unbecoming of you to complain about this. You are getting compensated for your work, no? Probably quite handsomely? It’s not like you’re getting a ton of extra work heaped on you with no remuneration.

      • Anon

        This. They are already paying you way more than you are worth to them as a first year attorney just for the privilege of seeing your smiling face each day… whether for 12 hours or 2. It’ll all even out in the end. And if it doesn’t, than consider your future there. But stop complaining today. No firm makes money off a new attorney until year 3 anyway.

        • Anon

          Good point. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got rid of first year bonuses because its unecessary in this market and they’ve already sunk so much money into you, why sink more?

      • anon - chi

        I agree about this being good protection against further layoffs. However, in defense of the OP, it is different to not receive a bonus in a field where bonuses are not expected than it is to not receive a bonus in a field where, at least until 2008/09, bonuses were almost universally received by every attorney who wasn’t about to be fired. (This may not be true at every single firm, but it was at many.)

        And, while it is likely true that the OP is making a good living, it still doesn’t feel very good to be making less than what people in your position were making just a short time ago, and through no fault of your own. It’s less about the absolute dollars than about comparing yourself to others in your same position. And even if the OP is making good money, going to law school is extraordinarily expensive and very very few people make it through without going into serious debt. I do understand why she is a little irritated. Working 12 hr days when people around you are not is tough to swallow, even if you know that in the end it is a good thing for you to be getting so much work.

    • emulaw

      Not completely on-point, but I cannot imagine walking out of the office at two, before any of the higher-ups leave. I’m not biglaw (small firm, actually), but I sometimes have dead spells with nothing to do as well … still, I would never waltz out at two in the afternoon. I would be the one sitting at my desk, acting busy until six, equally jealous of the people leaving at two, but too scared to actually do it.

      • anon

        I think some places (rightly, in my opinion) don’t put much weight on face time. There are workplaces where work is generally assigned via email or a formal system, not based on who the senior person happens to see sitting around the office. At places like that, I think it’s totally appropriate to leave the office if one has no work to do and has already met billable requirements – particularly if one is accessible via cellphone/blackberry. My current work environment isn’t like this, but I am familiar with offices that are (and wish I worked in one!).

        • Anon

          While I think face time can go too far (e.g., “you must be in the office on a saturday!”), I do think there is a basis for being in the office even if you’re not busy. That is the best way to be dragged into a brainstorming — this helps everyone and can get you an assignment that you wouldn’t otherwise have. This may be less necessary in small offices where you’re more likely to be called. But in large offices, the informal interactions are where connections are made.

    • RR

      Welcome to the practice of law. Be glad you are the one with hours and not the one without. Someday it could be flipped, and I promise you won’t be complaining.

    • North Shore

      If you want to be a litigator, and possibly move to a different firm that treats its associates fairly (or even the government) you NEED trial experience. Jump at the opportunity! I’ve seen associates down the road who have no chance for partner, but no trial experience, taking self-paid NITA trial advocacy classes during their vacation time to build up a litigation resume. What you are going through sucks, but trial experience is really important. Hang in there.

    • anon

      Other posters have raised some really good points–you will be better insulated from layoffs, get a reputation as a go-to junior, be much more advanced than others in your class year skill-wise, have more to “talk-to” in interviews if you ever leave the firm, etc. All of that is cold comfort if you just want your bed or to have a “normal” Saturday.

      I totally hear that you are burned out. And I also know that it _seems_ illogical to have one person working like a dog while others hardly work. But you need to remember two things 1) Law firms are often run in an incredibly inefficient manner–logic has no bearing on staffing, etc. and 2) you’re going to drive yourself _crazy_ if you constantly compare hours with your peers to make sure things are “fair.” They’re not going to be. You need to just let that go and understand that it comes with biglaw territory.

      I know its frustrating to envision a bonus, or hours counting toward a bonus that won’t come, but as others have said, the bonus will come. It will come in the form of you becoming a much better attorney.

      Last, you should really consider taking a mental health day. Sometimes you don’t even realize how badly just one (weekday) off will refresh you. So even though trial’s coming up, and everyone’s counting on you take a day of or steal a “sickie.” You will feel much better.

      Remember, it’s always darkest before the dawn.

      • anon - chi

        Extra vacation time = more time you are not in the office billing hours next year, which makes you less likely to hit hours and consequently less likely to get a bonus. I don’t know a single full time attorney who takes all his or her allotted vacation. Also, a lot of firms don’t have any vacation policy – you can take as much time as you can afford to take so long as you do your work.

        • SF Bay Associate

          Agreed. We don’t accrue vacation at my biglaw – you take as much time as you dare (assuming you’re up on your hours), but with the sense of dread from fearing last minute work-flareups before you are physically on the plane. The first time I ever traveled without my work laptop in tow was the vacation I took the day after my case settled, and I only felt safe doing that because I’d already cleared my plate months ago to only have the trial on it.

        • anon

          my significant other is a biglaw associate at a top firm in nyc in his 5th year and has taken every single day of his allotted vacation and is looking forward to hitting the 5 year mark when he starts earning an extra week of vacation per year. yes, there have been some days we’ve been on “vacation” where he’s had to hop on calls while I wander around a museum, but he makes it work, as do a number of his (male) coworkers. he says many of his female coworkers work “too hard” for reasons that are mysterious to him, and they’ve been burning out/leaving the firm at much higher rates. (he’s a corporate lawyer and doesn’t do litigation; his firm allows him to arrange for coverage for his matters during the periods he’s out.)

    • backtowork

      It’s the associates who are not billing time — the ones the firm has no work for — who will be the first to be laid off. So be happy that (1) you have a job, and (2) your job is secure (if you’re billing those hours, you know they need you). I spent a year looking for the biglaw job I have now had for 6 months, and my husband has been out of work for a year and a half and is still looking. If you’re getting a paycheck and benefits, no whining allowed. These are not good times.

  13. Midori

    ‘Nother threadjack: If you had a Body Shop giftcard for $40, what would you buy? I’m not a regular customer there. I could use some makeup maybe–is theirs any good? What about the hair products? Or should I just stick to a reed diffuser or something?

    • Geri

      I love their hemp moisturizer. It’s super-rich. (Not for everyone, but makes me happy.)

    • Samantha

      I like some of their body butters. Some of them come as sets – maybe buy a gift set for family if you don’t want one for yourself (shower gels+body butter). They also have a tea tree oil hair conditioner/shampoo set which is good.

    • SF Bay Associate

      Can you wait until the day after Xmas? Their gift sets go 30-50% off on the 26th and you can get some really nice stuff for a great value. The big sets are the ones that go 50% off.

      I recently stayed at the home of a friend for a couple days on vacation, and she had set out in the guest room a set of clean towels and travel sized bottles of L’Occitane shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. I was so surprised and touched. If you have frequent houseguests, one of things you might buy on the 26th are the mini-sets of shampoo/conditioner/bw in a cute bag that the Body Shop always has around the holidays.

      • Midori

        Oh, that’s a fantastic idea! I do get frequent houseguests, and I love having nice stuff for them to use. Thanks for the tips on the sales, too. I’ll hang on to it for the post-holiday prices.

      • Blonde Lawyer

        If you do this, a heads-up before hand is nice. I frequently travel and while I always appreciate the goodies left out for me where I am staying I sometimes kick myself for packing my shampoo and conditioner, etc. Maybe let them know they don’t need to pack that stuff if you are already going to have it.

  14. Senior lawyerette

    Agree with all of the advice and consoling about working so much more than it seems others are, on top of having satisfied your billable requirement by Nov 1.

    1 – billable requirement doesn’t really mean max.

    2 – Do firms still do annual or other periodic reviews? If so, make sure that your personnel file reflects the extra hours and work you gave. You don’t want just to know it yourself and may a partner, but it should be part of your official record. When I was an associate and also an in-house, the reviews included a written summary. The partner[s] communicating the review with me and I signed the written summaries.

  15. mem

    I ordered the jacket in brown and was pretty disappointed. First off, the trim is BLACK on the brown jacket, which I think makes it difficult to wear. It looked dark brown on the website, but it’s quite clearly black in person. It doesn’t match anything I intended to wear it with, and looks peculiar with anything other than white or gray. Secondly, it’s not at all structured, which makes it a lot more casual than I expected it to be. It doesn’t feel or look like something I’d wear to work. It’s more like a wool blanket in terms of what the fabric feels/looks like than a wool jacket. Given these drawbacks, and the fact that $200 is more than I really want to drop on yet another can’t wear it to work jacket, and this is definitely getting returned.

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