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An estimated 3-minute read

As the Crow Flies…. or NOT??

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Think of those days when you were in your final year of law school and you dreamt of a job / placement in a firm which paid, if not much, just about 50k, and you thought you will rule this world with all the money and the charisma that you would carry around you. You dreamt of this one hot shot lawyer in the firm, ready to impress, if not the clients, at least a hand full of people (ladieeeess!) whom you think would watch you the moment you have stepped into the firm. You would calculate the rate at which you would grow within the firm. By 5 years you would have to (have to!!) have a swanky BMW; by another 5 years you will be a partner and you will have this awesome flat in a posh colony; and ofcourse you would be married by then (most just miss this bit). Life is set, you would be happy that you took up law as a career option. Now there is no turning around, and you are ready to enter the world of corporate lawyers.

 

Well, that said, you did get a job in the firm, the life seemed all set. Your dreams are following you and you are in command. Work from now on! And not just work but hard work, so you would climb the ladder of the home bread firm (atleast that what you thought) in a short, very short period of time. You would spend days and nights in the firm to get your way through the top. Day after day, month after month, you worked.. you thought that your hard work was being noticed.. though you spend more than half the day in your smoke breaks and goofing around the firm, you spent nights cribbing that you have shit loads of work dumped on you. You sometimes even thought you were indispensible and you went on and on.

 

And there… the appraisals approach. You start discussing with your colleagues, always sure that the boss will not give you a good appraisal (most of the time, if not always, you have a negative mindset). The only topic of discussion has been your appraisals. You have discussed that in office, while partying, during your daily lunches… and somehow mentally prepare yourself for the discussion you would have with your boss.

 

And then… it happens! You would be appreciated with ifs and buts, and that you have potential and you should just put in a little (very little) more hard work and you shall reap the benefits. This happened year after year and you discussed it smoke break after smoke break (and that was atleast 20 times a day??). You complained how the firm is against you, how your bosses aren’t putting in the best efforts to promote you within the team and how they are eating into your bonuses. But such is life and so, u think and move on.

 

Fast forward >>

 

You are four years in the firm (if you haven’t switched) and you are now desperately expecting that you will get promoted to a senior associate (an unwritten rule that if you have spent fours years you are ready to be promoted to an senior associate and that is without acknowledging the fact that you have done nothing extraordinary in the past four years). And then the day comes, you are invited in your boss’ cabin. You are nervous but you have thought about all that you would say if you wont get promoted. You perhaps even planned that you would just resign right there and then thinking that there in no dearth in jobs in the legal arena. And then…

 

Boss: You know how the year has been. Very hard year it has been for us. (we have just managed to actually double our profits.. but you don’t get a dime.. you did nothing.. it was us who did all the work…you morons)…

 

…And life still goes on! No matter what, you are still a lawyer and still earning shit loads of money and still partying hard….. as the Crow flies… or NOT ;)

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