The Firm conducts spring evaluations of first-year associates.
On one hand, there is nothing for me to worry about because I haven’t been assigned any client-billable work by my home office since I started.
On the other hand, I haven’t been assigned any client-billable work by my home office since I started. Typing that sparks a panic.
My fast-approaching spring eval underscores just how long I’ve been waiting for my first legit assignment. I have created some work for myself by way of pro bono projects and article writing. I’ve listened to inordinate quantities of pre-recorded CLE. I even flew across the Pacific for a short-term assignment in an international office (this ill-fated trip produced a couple of weeks of client-billable work supervised by the international office’s junior associates). I have been told that a new transaction will have to come through the home office before I will be staffed on a deal–three months and still no dice.
Maybe three months isn’t so long. ”Enjoy the downtime,” other associates say. After all, “corporate practice ebbs and flows.” But how long can I sit on my hands before I am deemed to no longer be developmentally on-track?
Patience is a virtue, but not one that I seem to possess as of late. And, really, should I be patient given the circumstances?
Leaving the Firm voluntarily isn’t an option that I’m considering for a multitude of reasons. But I have begun to wonder whether I should request a transfer to another office. How long can I wait out this lull without selling myself short in terms of training and skill development? How long will the firm justify my place on the payroll when I’m not billing hours?
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