A Different Tactic. Part 2. 4:15 p.m. in Book Four: Ichi-no-Tani 2017

Comparative Comprehension of Current Cases

In other “Shit, we need to take care of this before the Slave Drivers return” news.... my car. So, my car (paid for entirely by me including any and all maintenance) gets a LOT of work use. Whether it is driving 256 miles in a day for a Massage without License Case; or 396 miles in a day for a Prostitution Case; or 404 miles in a day for a Human Trafficking case; or just 230 miles in a day for a Chinese Community Event (all of which have been required of me; all of which were required of me within the same month)… my car gets a lot of use. Which means when I get a recall notice on top of my brake pads needing replaced on top of my fuel cap being broken on top of my driver’s side curtain airbag housing having come loose… I need to get my car to a shop. Which requires that I and my wife work out both the Drop Off and the Driving Arrangement. Obviously, with bosses that expect me to be at the office from 8 to 7 and give me a poor rating for Doctor’s appointments during those hours, this proves a challenge. So… hopefully, we can figure out a way to take care of this before the bosses get back. Because… and seriously I mean it… this is the kind of shit that other people I’ve spoken with don’t have to deal with.

Remember Work Crush from Law Library? She’s working in a firm of just five people. One Attorney Owner, One Attorney Partner, Her as Associate Attorney and two Assistants. Almost the identical set up as my office. With two exceptions. FIRST: She is not working for the Chinese. SECOND: As a small firm, they have communication and understanding down. She needs to see the Dentist on a Tuesday Morning; okay, good luck. She needs to take her car in because Check Engine came on.... “better get that taken care of before it becomes a problem”. Hell, MBFITWW works at a small firm. SAME story. Small Firm means that the people within the firm can show some more understanding and personal relationship skills.

Lets flip it. I have three friends that work in Giant Firms. One works for THE FIRM in Omaha; one works for THE Personal Injury Firm in Des Moines; and one works for THE Business Law Firm of the Midwest. Not only do all of them start their careers with two weeks vacation and 10 sick days… they also get paired up with an experienced attorney who can help them navigate both The Law and The Firm’s Environment. And when they need to see a doctor or get their cars fixed? There are enough attorneys present that can either (1) cover emergencies, or (2) deal with things if needed.

Neither of which is like my current firm. Here? If the bosses have an emergency, or a dentist appointment, or doctor’s visit, or go to China… I am required to cover for them, do their court filings, all of that. When I want to go to the doctor? I get an earful. When I went to San Francisco? I did all of my own filing and paperwork from the Hotel; even skipping Family Events to make sure my work was finished. So, yeah. The “vacation” I said I had to take or wouldn’t take the job, that they said I could take, that they were MAD AT ME FOR TAKING… I still did all of my own work during that trip. These guys want to be a big firm. It is why they say yes to EVERY case (whether they should or not). It is why they have THREE branch offices already. It is why they’ve spent the last week contracting our firm as THE American Partner of (at least a dozen Chinese firms). But guess what. We’re NOT a big firm. Chinese Assistant is leaving at the end of the year. Muse is leaving “at some point tbd.” Chinese Boss doesn’t do anything besides Immigration Law and has complained to me several times that she wants to get out of that, she wants me to do all the Immigration Law so that she can focus “strictly on getting clients.” Which is even stupider as Chinese Assistant and Muse are strictly Chinese Boss’ helpers… meaning White Boss and I have no secretary, legal assistant, nothing. IN OTHER WORDS… there is White Boss (family law and whatever he is required to do) and ME as active attorneys. Count it again… even counting Chinese Boss… we have one branch office PER Licensed Attorney. It is unsustainable and a terrible bullshit way of trying to run a firm. UNLESS, of course, you want to have NOTHING in your life outside of work… and you want work to be as frustrating, difficult, and life crushing as possible. That’s who I work for. That’s the reality of this firm. And yes, even other attorneys who know and like my bosses have mentioned as much. Other attorneys who work with my bosses look at them and ask, “Do they have any life outside of work?” OR my favorite: “They didn’t give you a phone? I told them using personal cell phones as work phones is the fastest way to have NO boundaries with your clients!”

Sorry, I didn’t mean to get stuck on that. Just… the bosses being in China has given me the opportunity to communicate with a lot more firms to find out how things should be; and each time I do, I realize one thing painfully clearly. My bosses don’t want to run a successful law firm. They don’t want to run a law firm that prospers and profits. All they want is to make sure their lives are so filled with work that there is nothing left in their lives. People wish to fill their lives with all sorts of things. For some it is pleasure. For others, pain. For some, their addictions fill their lives. For these people? It is work above all things. White Boss has a brother. I know this because I saw a picture once. Other than that, White Boss has no desire to see or spend time with his brother. White Boss’ mom came to visit them. I know because it was on the Calendar that I’m in charge of (for some stupid reason). But they had also scheduled several work events that same weekend. White Boss’ Mom flew in from Memphis and saw her son and Daughter in Law for a few hours tops. The very idea of that being a life you choose for yourself… pains me in epic ways. And I will resist that life, I will resist that lifestyle, until I get fired or I die.