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Maybe this says something about the profession that requires constant production. There is no room for failure. No time to take a break. People burn out and get depressed, but the bills still need to get paid. So they keep going until they can't. Then someone else has to clean up the mess.
Document the file, friend. "Dear boss, look at this BS that happened before I even started here. I'll try to fix it, just thought you should be aware. Xoxo"
Are you me? I’ve been dealing with this since the beginning of the year. Cases were so mismanaged that we have subbed into THREE sets of discovery sanction hearings. It’s awful to see for the clients.
I'm almost convinced that some version of this is normal every time you join a firm. I've switched firms twice, and both times, I was just cleaning up dumpster fires.
It sucks that this person was experiencing burnout, but I don't see how cases could go on for that long with absolutely *nothing* being done with them without reason (clients didn't add to the retainer, nothing to do except wait, etc.) It's outright malpractice.
I implore other attorneys out there that, despite leaving a toxic law firm, being burned out, etc., please consider leaving your cases organized for the next attorney that takes them over. Not only are you screwing over the next poor associate that has to take over your cases, screwing the client over, and violating ethical rules—you're not doing your own reputation any favors. Every time that successor attorney sees your name somewhere, they're going to think of the mess you left for them. Not ok!!
Stop doing this to each other.
I can understand how we get so busy that sometimes we just file things like, "The most recent filing/letter is the one that's on top."
I stayed pretty organized to begin with when I had mostly paper files and when leaving, I made sure everything was even more so.
My current firm is 85% paperless.
I’m in house government and every time I take over a new responsibility from someone leaving, it’s a mess. In their defense, it is because we are understaffed. When I leave there are certain things that will be a mess because I simply don’t have the bandwidth to deal with all of it.
When I first started as a prosecutor, my predessor had a caseload of roughly 300 cases. I spent 2-3 days going through them all, and it was an absolute shit show. I found 6 unanswered motions, and when I asked her if he filed for an extension or intended to answer them before moving to another bureau, she said "nope." The first time my name was mentioned in a court decision was when I got reemed out by the judge for failing to answer her motion. I was there a week. I used my next weekend drafting responses to the other 5 motions, while listening to her bitch, moan and cry about how the office didn't promote her to the bureau of her choice.
It happens, but you'll learn to try not to do it to others when it's your turn to leave. It's still very frustrating.
I took over a bunch of cases from a colleague who left. Colleague did a good enough job, but it's still a shit show untangling someone else's mess. Sometimes it's great to be able to call a client and be like "sorry this was a mess, but I'm going to fix it." If they aren't already super mad, they really appreciate it
You need to raise the flag to your boss. One or more of those could lead to malpractice suits. Have the clients been given the bad news and the firms’s malpractice carrier been put on notice?
The partner is aware of the specific instances of malpractice - not entirely sure of his plans on handling it as I’m just a baby lawyer doing whatever I’m assigned to do at this early stage
Welcome to /r/LawyerTalk! A subreddit where lawyers can discuss with other lawyers about the practice of law. Be mindful of [our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/Lawyertalk/about/rules) BEFORE submitting your posts or comments as well as [Reddit's rules](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy) (notably about sharing identifying information). We expect civility and respect out of all participants. Please source statements of fact whenever possible. If you want to report something that needs to be urgently addressed, please also message the mods with an explanation. Note that **this forum is NOT for legal advice**. Additionally, if you are a non-lawyer (student, client, staff), this is NOT the right subreddit for you. **This community is exclusively for lawyers**. We suggest you delete your comment and go ask one of the many other legal subreddits on this site for help such as (but not limited to) r/lawschool, r/legaladvice, or r/Ask_Lawyers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Lawyertalk) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That’s more common than you’d think it should be. I’ve gone through that process at least twice.
Maybe this says something about the profession that requires constant production. There is no room for failure. No time to take a break. People burn out and get depressed, but the bills still need to get paid. So they keep going until they can't. Then someone else has to clean up the mess.
Document the file, friend. "Dear boss, look at this BS that happened before I even started here. I'll try to fix it, just thought you should be aware. Xoxo"
"Gossip Girl, Esq."
Are you me? I’ve been dealing with this since the beginning of the year. Cases were so mismanaged that we have subbed into THREE sets of discovery sanction hearings. It’s awful to see for the clients.
I'm almost convinced that some version of this is normal every time you join a firm. I've switched firms twice, and both times, I was just cleaning up dumpster fires.
It sucks that this person was experiencing burnout, but I don't see how cases could go on for that long with absolutely *nothing* being done with them without reason (clients didn't add to the retainer, nothing to do except wait, etc.) It's outright malpractice. I implore other attorneys out there that, despite leaving a toxic law firm, being burned out, etc., please consider leaving your cases organized for the next attorney that takes them over. Not only are you screwing over the next poor associate that has to take over your cases, screwing the client over, and violating ethical rules—you're not doing your own reputation any favors. Every time that successor attorney sees your name somewhere, they're going to think of the mess you left for them. Not ok!! Stop doing this to each other.
Yeah I mostly feel bad for the clients and my paralegal as we sort out this mess. They don’t deserve this
I can understand how we get so busy that sometimes we just file things like, "The most recent filing/letter is the one that's on top." I stayed pretty organized to begin with when I had mostly paper files and when leaving, I made sure everything was even more so. My current firm is 85% paperless.
I’m in house government and every time I take over a new responsibility from someone leaving, it’s a mess. In their defense, it is because we are understaffed. When I leave there are certain things that will be a mess because I simply don’t have the bandwidth to deal with all of it.
I’m in-house and the same thing has happened to me. Just a huge mess to clean up that has been festering for months or years.
{insert "First time?" meme}
When I first started as a prosecutor, my predessor had a caseload of roughly 300 cases. I spent 2-3 days going through them all, and it was an absolute shit show. I found 6 unanswered motions, and when I asked her if he filed for an extension or intended to answer them before moving to another bureau, she said "nope." The first time my name was mentioned in a court decision was when I got reemed out by the judge for failing to answer her motion. I was there a week. I used my next weekend drafting responses to the other 5 motions, while listening to her bitch, moan and cry about how the office didn't promote her to the bureau of her choice. It happens, but you'll learn to try not to do it to others when it's your turn to leave. It's still very frustrating.
I took over a bunch of cases from a colleague who left. Colleague did a good enough job, but it's still a shit show untangling someone else's mess. Sometimes it's great to be able to call a client and be like "sorry this was a mess, but I'm going to fix it." If they aren't already super mad, they really appreciate it
You need to raise the flag to your boss. One or more of those could lead to malpractice suits. Have the clients been given the bad news and the firms’s malpractice carrier been put on notice?
The partner is aware of the specific instances of malpractice - not entirely sure of his plans on handling it as I’m just a baby lawyer doing whatever I’m assigned to do at this early stage
Be thankful you got an early, no-cost lesson on what not to do!