I’m a first year. Northeast region. Partner is worried I’m not going to meet the billing requirement and wants me to be billing 190+ for the rest of the year, which is simply not possible. Almost every month he’s had a discussion with me about my hours and meeting the yearly requirement despite being close to the monthly requirement when including non-billables so it’s not like I’m dropping the ball and billing crazy low. I’m talking 155/160+ billable hours (this isn’t including nonbillables) for the past few months on average as a first year. Other first years at the firm are not getting this same amount of treatment re constant discussion and scrutiny on hours. Latest discussion happened even after I billed highly last month. Definitely in Q1 my billing was lower so I’m sure that’s dragging down my average but he isn’t understanding of the fact that I’ve improved through the year.
He’s going through my billing day by day now and telling me what he thinks took too long and seems to think I’m inflating hours. Not sure what to do as I’m not getting that much work and when I do, they’re all few hour long tasks, not anything substantive. Seems like he just wants me to do overload 10 hour days of actual small, substantive tasks that take about an hour or two each. There’s also not that many of these tasks as a couple of us on the team are already assisting on these little tasks. Plus everytime I get 1-2 tasks, I finish them, then have to ask for more, wait for responses on what to do before I start so it does add up waiting around like that. Have no depos or mediations. What to do?
I do want to bill more but my matters are either stagnant or I’m up to date on them. Only have 4 matters to myself.
Ps: I love the rest of my team and they are all seniors and superstars at billing so I do feel like I’m getting a way different treatment than them. They have always supported me and told me to bill what it takes me and to take my sweet time on stuff. Culture was great at first but now I’m constantly anxious inputting my billing because I feel like I have to justify how long things are taking me. Genuinely don’t know how to meet the billing requirements if I have no depos, no doc review, and he wants me to work quickly through assignments.