Pros
Trauma bonding is real and the primary coping method at this firm.
Cons
* Firm releases EOFY figures boasting exceeding financial targets by more than 30%, then sends a firm-wide notification afterwards stating there is no budget for any bonuses for the year and a salary cap - which was the same situation in 2023 - not enough to anywhere near keep up with inflation, so your pay is going backwards. This was announced on a Teams call nationally. * ZERO rewards for performing 'over and above' - you will get used up like doormat. * Firm's culture encourages B-player behaviour - doing the bare minimum or less, dumping of work onto others, taking calculated leave during critical workload times like EOFY billing, expecting Finance and other support staff to pick up the slack; * Revolving door of legal and support staff. Burn and churn culture. Support staff burnout within 12 months. * After mass resignations, the firm mandates zero hiring 2024, leaving the remaining staff to absorb multiple teams' work without compensation, leading to burnout, resignations and people becoming B-players in performance and attitude; * No overtime paid, averaging 8+ hours a week overtime for junior staff, and increasing to 37 hours+ a week overtime for multiple weeks for other staff that is not paid; HR are aware of this (remember, HR is there for the firm OWNERS ie. profit and ensuring Partners get what they want. HR are NOT there to actually support staff); * Multiple Risk issues across the firm. Lack of resourcing for Risk teams to perform their roles. * Partners leave and take entire teams with them, deliberately don't communicate which files they will take with them, leaving the department in a mess for the remaining teams to 'fix' including secretaries to figure out who to direct clients to; clients chasing the firm for any legal staff remaining who may know about who will take carriage of the matter; unclear protocols for file handovers. * Morale is extremely low; some teams don't talk to eachother, with some ppl in certain teams refusing to come in to avoid seeing other staff. * Upper management consisting of known spineless men who attempt to dump their work onto junior female staff in the firm * Many teams have toxic work culture, do not invest time / acknowledge their staff or have no capacity to train junior lawyers and law grads * Partners literally forgetting their team secretary's name in front of other staff (she worked with the team for 2 years) * Sexual harrassment and misconduct from multiple junior staff, which is left to run rampant due to lack of resourcing to monitor and manage those people out in a timely fashion * Partners screaming and/or belittling their support staff on multiple occasions, in a toxic very large practice group that has a big budget and likes to run their own show like they don't belong to the firm at all; * UK office treats Australian office like second class citizens - expects weeks of zero communication for basic information, file open processes and billing procedures. * Lack of training and onboarding. Expect basic computer programs to not be installed or not work. Constant flow of IT tickets lodged * Partners have no hesitation booking a $16K one-way trip to London, but never take their team/lawyers out to lunch for years to attempt to build rapport/show appreciation. * Partners expect staff to be physically in office every day (out of touch with flexible work ideas), with female Partners being the least flexible, empathetic or kind - you will likely be ignored until they want something done (no morning hello or appreciation for work done, creating a cold, clinical environment without soul); * Rules about flexibility are only for the privileged Partners (but many just want to be in office to escape their families) * You have to quit, to be offered a higher salary, but by that time you've already interviewed at another firm and received an offer.