Associates
at
King
&
Spalding
recently
received
an
update
to
firm
policy
that
is
worrying
folks.
The
firm
told
associates
they
are
responsible
for
2,400
“productive”
hours
(broader
than
“billable”
hours,
but
narrower
than
all
working
hours)
in
order
to
be
in
good
standing
at
the
firm.
And
“good
standing”
is,
of
course,
linked
to
bonuses.
The
firm’s
policy
is
as
follows:
To
ensure
that
our
lawyers
develop
professionally
and
meet
client
needs,
associates
are
expected
to
contribute
a
minimum
of
2,400
total
productive
(“all–in”)
hours,
which
generally
includes
at
least
2,000
billable
hours.
The
remaining
hours
should
be
dedicated
to
productive
non-billable
contributions,
such
as
practice
and
business
development,
professional
development,
recruiting,
and
other
practice
and
firm
initiatives.
Formally,
K&S
hasn’t
changed
their
requirement
of
1,950
billable
hours
to
be
bonus
eligible,
leaving
confusion
(along
with
anger)
in
the
wake
of
the
new
policy.
But
this
isn’t
the
first
time
the
firm’s
policies
have
sown
discontent.
Last
month,
we
told
you
about
the
passive
aggressive
campaign
at
the
firm
to
get
associates
to
come
into
the
office,
despite
hyping
a
“no
facetime”
culture,
and
holding
bonuses
over
attorneys’
heads
to
get
them
to
comply.
This
follows
a
similar
model,
with
attorneys
feeling
blindsided
by
a
new
operating
procedure
that
puts
their
bonuses
at
risk
—
although
the
exact
penalties
for
noncompliance
remain
opaque
and
the
rollout
has
been
criticized
internally
for
its
lack
of
transparency.
Folks
at
the
firm
are
NOT
taking
this
well.
Tipsters
at
the
firm
have
described
it
as
“insane,”
“not
doable,”
“inhumane,”
and
one
insider
even
said
this
is
part
of
the
firm’s
glorification
of
attorneys
who
“never
see
their
families.”
These
may
seem
like
some
pretty
harsh
words
from
the
K&S
rank
and
file,
but
an
ill-defined
2,400
hours
requirement
with
a
nebulous
enforcement
mechanism
is
harsh,
and
this
is
a
commensurate
response.
This
lack
of
clarity
on
what
it
takes
to
remain
in
good
standing
at
the
firm,
and
the
penalty
for
noncompliance
—
communicated
more
than
halfway
through
the
year,
no
less
—
is
just
wild.
And
leadership
at
K&S
*has*
to
know
they
aren’t
winning
the
hearts
and
minds
of
the
associates
when
they
play
fast
and
loose
with
hours
targets
and
in-office
requirements.
No
wonder
insiders
say
morale
is
in
the
toilet.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].