Apparently worried that they weren't doing enough to burnish their reputation as petty tyrants, the firms have stepped up the patrols of Little Eichmanns. They pace through the work suites, eyeing the temps suspiciously. They have set up beats, apparently, that overlap -- as soon as on of the floor guards passes out of one suite, another enters from the next. The only thing that keeps the picture from being perfect is that they aren't lightly slapping nightsticks into their palm.
Yesterday, the woman who sits next to me -- a very nice person and not in the least disruptive -- got jacked up late in the day by one of the roaming enforcers. I had left earlier, as had the guy who sits to her left. The firm thug -- probably a staff attorney, but possibly an associate* -- reprimanded her for talking. When she explained she wasn't talking, as there was no one to talk to, the enforcer informed her that she had been talking earlier, and was being reprimanded for that. Hard to dispute, I guess. So today she kept her headphones in and mouth shut all day. Didn't click any faster, of course.
* The distinction is important. At a large firm, an associate has a future and a much bigger paycheck. The staff attorney has no opportunity for advancement and enjoys only slightly more job security than do temps. Firms lay off staff attorneys all the time when they need to save money or don't have any document reviews going on. Some firms use staff attorneys basically as temps with benefits, staffing up for impending document reviews and then laying off after the review ends. Staff attorneys know this and frequently are bitter. Also, most staff attorneys used to be temps and are just glad to have someone to look down on. It makes many of them absolutely insufferable. (And yeah, I'm blogging behind enemy lines. Break time, or they'd jack me up for it.)
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