4/3/07 -- HH associate provides a further description of Lily:
Hahaha. I laughed out loud when I saw this thread! I actually saw "Lily" today at the office.
For those who don't know, "Lily" is not her actual name. Her real name rhymes with Lily and I will use this psuedonym to protect the guilty.
Anyone at HH knows who she is. She is a grotesque 300 lbs, and her physical deformities are utterly beyond description. Her best friend is a bag of cheetos, and her fat, mangled fingers are often coated with their orange powder. She drives her slaves (this is the slang for "managing" temps or "contract attorneys") offsite in a basement in New Jersey. I believe there may be windows, but I have not been there myself to verify this fact.
Lily does maintain a presence in the New York office, rather unfortunately, and we see her rear her ugly head from time to time. Probably just taking orders from some non-equity partner in charge of the firm's various doc review projects. The sole purpose of this woman's existence is to squeeze every last drop of efficiency out of each slave, and to make their miserable lives as horrible as possible, all for $35/hour.
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"Lily" the (17th?) year associate who "manages" the contract attorneys is a fat, nasty monster. "Lily" once ripped a cellphone out of someone's hand at the offsite location. "Lily" also fired people on the spot for having newspapers at their "desks" and wanted to take away garbage cans as a way to make the space cleaner (someone needs to retake the logic games portion of the LSAT). "Lily" takes it upon herself to impose cost-cutting measures which only serve to undermine efficiency and work product quality. She has brought about a state of affairs whereby overtime is treated like the holy grail and the miserly meal allowance and tickets to ride in cars with maniac drivers are glimmering mirages in a desert. Meanwhile, newspapers reveal that the client has set aside billions of dollars in legal fees and that the firm has matched associate salary hikes to remain competitive. Translation: "Lily" is a woman getting paid over $200,000 / year to sit on her ass and who is trying to cheat contract attorneys out of every penny.
Speaking of bathrooms, in lockstep with Paul, Weiss, the temps working at the offsite location have to sign in and out to use the bathroom. An attorney at that space was driven to smearing his feces on the wall of the men's room there. "Lily" surmised that the substance was actually chocolate. The temps kept in the dungeon of the firm's main office have to use grimy hall passes to the bathroom. The ceiling of the men's room crashed down into a stall and was left in that state for a week. All of the toilets regurgitate waste in the same manner of the firm's work product-billing system. The floor beneath the bathrooms is rotting, and the stench invades the air. One time, they refilled the soap dispensers with flourscent pink gummy goop. People of the same and opposite gender were indeed followed to the bathroom by the ex-communicated on-site coordinator. At one point, the temps were told they would have to deduct bathroom breaks from their paychecks. No wonder people are driven to smearing feces on the walls . . .
As for "Egg Man," this man is so physically repulsive that his image is excluded from the firm's website. Physicality aside, the man is a dick. His former law school classmates remember him running up to professors to tell on students who hadn't done the reading for the day. These tactics are still employed in his capacity of slave-driver at HHR. Anyone arriving at the site a minute late must report to him. Although he occupies hallways and door frames like a clogged artery, his step is feather-light. He loves to stealthily sneak into the workroom and "catch" the temps under his tutelage engaged in non-work behaviors. He pits coworkers against each other and tries to convert some into snitches; however, often the tattletale gets the axe along with the troublemaker. He doesn't seem to do any billable legal work apart from taking up space bumbling around and stuttering instructions about the doc review. He always has a sinister expression on his face, belying the myth that fat people are supposed to be jolly. In fact, he may be getting his "jollies" from putting temps on edge through his espionage and witch hunt tactics. He is single-handely responsible for many of the progressively worsening conditions on the project. In the year since his hiring (more likely than not accomplished by means of nepotism), he has engaged in a Reign of Terror. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!
168 comments:
I worked at hughes hubbard a long time ago. I have to admit Lily was one tough motherfucker. I never recovered.
Hughes Hubbard and Paul Weiss are shit firms with little in the way of substance. The reason they are so profitable (and rank so high on the AMLaw profit surveys) is because they run the biggest and most exploitive sweatshops, not because of their legal acumen or client services. Other firms are and will continue to take notice of this fact. With the help of the likes of "Anita" and "Lily," the whole profession will soon turn to shit.
Welcome to the new world order.
ha-ha. that fat ugly bitch gets what she deserves--well actualy just a taste of what she deserves, which I will not elaborate upon (much)further. Golden showers anyone? Anything unspeakably mean and degrading seems just--the meaner the better! Seriously though, she turned me down because I admitted that if given a permanent job, I would leave, albeit with as much notice as practical. Not an appropriate question for a temp job. Best part is I am out of the temp racket now. Anyone know how to send someone truly anonymous, untraceable emails. She needs to know about this post.
I send my anonymous e-mails from the internet cafe on Avenue N in Brooklyn. Or any other internet cafe will do as long as they don't check IDs.
Having been involved with this temp racket for over two years now, I can say pretty confidently that there is no need to e-mail Lily; this blog and other temp gossip spread like wildfire and she will no doubt catch wind of it by Monday.
Knowing that this will be read and having worked with the human scum overseers at HHR, I have only one thing to say: "Burn in hell, Lily et. al." Peace out.
I worked with "Lily" back in the day. I remember she didn't like people taking breaks or talking on their cell phones, so she locked all the doors.
I have to say that I was treated more like an adult and with more human respect in the 1st grade than I was in that dump.
This clearly illustrates why we need student loan reform. "Lily" takes heavily indebted, desperate JD's and exploits them for all they are worth.
Do they still have that off-site pit at 65 Broadway? Whenever the fire marshal would come to visit, lily would have long, flattering conversations with them out in the hall way. I wouldn't be surprised if money was exchanged.
I got an offer of an assignment at Hughes Hubbard about a month ago and I turned it down because I had heard negative things about the place, but I had no idea it was this bad. It is great that these hellholes are being embarassed and exposed. First, Paul Weiss, then Anita's Kirkland/Constantine Cannon project and now Hughes Hubbard go into the temp hall of shame. This exposure can only serve to make working conditions better. Keep it up.
Anita made partner; the "colonel" made associate; and that nasty hag at Simpson was made dictator. It appears that everyone that gets criticized on this blog for being abusive gets rewarded with a promotion. Take notice kiddies: if you want to get ahead in this profession, you need to be a backstabbing, tyrannical psychopath.
"Lily" is a puzzle--how does one come to be a 17th year associate? Partners have to bring in business, not alienate it. Partners have to bill, not go on psychotic breaks during the work day. She can't sleep her way to the top, as no man in his right mind would have her.
65 still exists, but Dechert took over, which has made a + difference.
The "Eggman" once told his temps that they had "nowhere to go but sideways." In fact, he has been demoted from being a former associate at a different firm in another jurisdiction. He has nowhere to go but down, in the gravitational and profesional sense.
"Lily" supposedly has a BA in Psychology--looks like she learned about as much of that subject as she did ethics for the MPRE, the bar, and maintaining a professional license.
"Thirty years ago, a group of young men were rounded up by police and dropped off at a new jail. Strip searched, sprayed for lice and locked up with chains around their ankles, the "prisoners" were part of an experiment to test people's reactions to power dynamics in social situations. Other college student volunteers -- the "guards" -- were given authority to dictate 24-hour-a-day rules. They were soon humiliating the "prisoners" in an effort to break their will.
Psychology Professor Philip Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment of August 1971 quickly became a classic. Using realistic methods, Zimbardo and others were able to create a prison atmosphere that transformed its participants. The young men who played prisoners and guards revealed how much circumstances can distort individual personalities -- and how anyone, when given complete control over others, can act like a monster.
"In a few days, the role dominated the person," Zimbardo said. "They became guards and prisoners." So disturbing was the transformation that Zimbardo ordered the experiment abruptly ended." . . .
. . .unfortuantely "Lily's" little experiment has no set endpoint.
To review docs at Hughes Hubbard is to implicate oneself in and S & M work relationship.
Glad to hear 65 Broadway was liberated. That was a notorious work camp with horrible conditions.
"Lily is a puzzle--how does one come to be a 17th year associate?"
She gets to stay because she provides value to the partners, namely she is a ball-busting slave driver. Nobody could do it better.
I can't believe that piece of garbage Anita became partner at Constantine and the psycho colonel became an associate at Kirkland. I guess it shows what s*it outfits these law firms are. Maybe the colonel will take out some of the bratty associates at Kirkland instead of killing Iraqis. She should start with that pompous ass from the Anita project who chased the hottie temp. I wonder where is she turning tricks now.
Anonymous on 4/3/07 wrote:
"In fact, he has been demoted from being a former associate..."
With such poor writing skills, no wonder we cannot get real work!
We go to non-top-ten schools and look at what happens: Poor English and nothing to do but complain. I'm going to stop reading the comments, perhaps, and spend more time on Craigslist looking for jobs with firms I've enjoyed. Arnold and Porter has always treated me respectfully, whatever agency took me there.
Happy Spring!
In the words of Cartman from South Park, "Shut the Fuck Up, Kyle!!!!!!"
In re to the commenter from 3:05 pm, the issue is that Biglaw firms have one track--partnership track. Associates are usually asked to leave by the eighth year if it is not looking like they will be partnership material. HHR has another designation, "Special Counsel," that is in between associate and partner and is given after the 6th-8th year.
The last person HHR made SC was the only Yale Law gradute at the firm. So, for a firm to keep a person around for 17 years w/o a promotion is an anomaly. Perhaps being super- glued to lowest rung of the HHR ladder while working on one of the most evil, depressing lawsuits in legal history partially explains (but certainly does not excuse) Lily's sadistic, psychotic tactics and her sour demeanor. . .and her futile quest for solace in a bag of cheetos.
Speak for yourself--Kyle--many contract attorneys are graduates of top ten, even top five, even top three, law schools, and, when you do speak for yourself, brush up on your grammar before you critique other people's writing. Your post contains a run-on sentence and betrays an ignorance of the difference between "what" and "which." Go back to fifth grade grammar class, go directly back, do not pass go, do not collect $35/hr.
The height of Lily's tyranny occurred during the last recession. At that time, unemployment was high, scores of laid off corporate associates were searching for temp work, and Lily's project was only paying 19 an hr. Every week she would fire 15-20% of the project. People were scared of her.
You need lily; do you really want the slaves running the plantation?
Wait, "Anita" is a partner at Constantine Cannon? Can someone link her bio on the firm web site here? Is her bio up anywhere?
Does anybody know what happened to "Ronald McDonald" and "Super Temp" from the Anita project? Ronald would stomp around bumping into the backs of people's chairs with a lunatic type of grin on his face barking orders at people. Super Temp, who got off the bus from hicksville, tried to acquire a personality and act like a New Yorker. What about the privilege captains and the bursting out of her clothes Eastern European? Finally, let's not forget the general counsel/garbabe man from Update with the nasty attitude. I am pretty sure that the project is still going on, but the sheep still on there I'm sure are too scared to speak. Any information from the trenches would be appreciated.
I believe the client was being screwed over by this firm. The documents were HIGHLY sensitive. Was it really smart to shove 200 people into a room, treat them like shit, and have them review highly sensitive and confidential documents? Every lawyer I have met takes their ethical obligations very seriously, but when you push large amounts of people close to the edge you never know what could happen. Recently, I read that some damaging documents of this corporation were leaked to the media. It makes me wonder. Who knows where they were leaked from. If they were leaked from the document production, I think the firm should carry some of the responsibility for their questionable, sweatshop management style.
The fact that someone wiped their own feces on the wall shows that people must have been pushed to the breaking point.
The sheep are silent because they all got a hush raise. Recently, a mob complained to Anita claiming that everyone who slept with (or anyone that was freinds with someone that slept with) the best dressed associate wound up getting a promotion. Anita told everyone to calm down, had Update weed out some of the troublemakers, and gave the remaining sheep a small raise to keep them docile.
There were two Rons on the Anita project. The one who looks like Cro-Magnon man and carried a briefcase ultimately got the axe.
marisol also got hired.
I wonder how much Lily gets paid to be dungeon-master. It couldnt have been that much of a drop down after she was thrown off the associate track. Full salary, decent benefits to be dictator with unlimited totaltarian powers over her own little feifdom - not a bad deal.
If she is extra successful in nickel-and-diming and squeezing every bit of blood out of the contract attorneys as possible in any one year, does Lily get a bonus? If so, how much?
wow, the colonel really did it.
To 4/4/07 3:19am
Was Marisol A the nosey, obnoxious fat butted one who constantly checked to see what other people were doing? If so, Kirkland has sunk to a new low.
Further evidence of the corruption of HHR and the gaping holes in its screening mechanisms for employee hiring and retention. Here's a mid-level associate working some overtime with a former paralegal back in the day when he was her supervisor:
http://a87.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/00607/68/06/607076086_l.jpg
Wow. Looks like she is really catching up on her billables. Looks like he is looking for a double billing situation.
She must have been taking lessons from Tank Top Temp. Is it me, or does there seem to be a striking resemblance between HHR and Kirkland?
Michael Tiger once had lunch with the Eggman on Stone St.
Who cares about those other people. Stay on topic.....more on lily and eggman. Who are these people? Why can't names be named? Don't they need to be exposed?
For other team captains, Lily wasn't always easy to work with; Lily was constantly pushing her authority around. Who really can argue with a 17th year associate, however.
HOT OFF THE PRESSES:
Lily's title has changed on the HHR website. Up until very recently, she bore the title of "associate," (~ 17 years) but it has been changed to something sui generis. It actually reads more like a paralegal / legal support position.
What are the "Eggman's" credentials? What is his title? Does he report to Lily?
Cut Lily some slack. She has been doing doc. review FOR 17 YEARS. After my second year of this shit I will be ready to blow my brains out.
I doubt Lily does heavy doc. review, that is what the slaves are for. She most likely has barking orders and maintaining efficiency as her primary job duty. Anyone know what one of these "counsel" positions pay? I would love to get off the hectic associate path and make a decent living kicking people around.
The Eggman is a staff attorney. He went to St. John's Law. His undergraduate institution, formerly an all women's college, is very well represented at the firm, which may partially explain his employment. The crazy-haired mid-level associate (whose uncle is a name partner at HHR D.C.) entangled in overtime play linked to in the 5:05 a.m. post went to that college at the same time as the Eggman. Put two and two together . . .
The Eggman doesn't report to Lily per se; rather, his paranoia/ espionage/tattletaling is fuel for her fire. They make a great pair. If Lily's job function is to maintain efficiency, then she ought to have gotten the axe during one of her first 16 annual reviews. She doesn't do substantive legal work or even menial doc review at any level. She just indulges her insanity and sits on her ever-expanding ass retaining and generating waste.
The Eggman does not look very sinister.
in fact the egg man is smiling
which just proves it is not what you know, but who you know. If he had a job washing toilets I wouldn't care. The fact that he got a job through the spoils system and is using such a job to make other people's lives miserable, just pisses me off.
He is smiling because he just jerked off to firing someone.
EP Dine is filled with liars. Their ads never say an exact rate of pay, always a line like "will pay up to $70 an hour." Then when the Diner calls you, he or she offers 30 an hour and claims no knowledge of the ad. That's each and every time.
Oh, and don't forget the kicker of all their ads, "higher rates will be considered." Yeah, right.
Sleazebags!!!!!
It appears that alot of people at that firm went to st. johns. You would think with all those people coming from a Catholic institution that someone would sprinkle some holy water around to exorcise the devil out of that firm.
Counsels make the base salary of a senior assoicate at the highest year they were allowed to remain associate + $15k + bonus. HHR is stingy with bonuses and bases them on hours.
"Lily" leaves the building every day at dinnertime, probably to feast on temps who have been slaughtered.
The Eggman didn't go to St. Johns because it's a Catholic school (he is not even Christian); he went there because he is a fuck-up. No one would dispute that he is a devil.
If these people are so bad, why doesn't Tom the Temp expose their real names?
Interesting "outing lily" discussion at http://jdunderground.com/thread.php?threadId=164
Wow. Lily must be raking it in then. Not a bad salary for what she does.
Can anyone out there let us know just how many temps Lily has at her disposal? I realize that Hughes Hubbard keeps them in New Jersey and undeground to help conceal their true numbers, but I thought someone on the inside could expose the shocking size of Lily's slave crew
Yes--let the HATE flow through us all. Hope that bitch gets wind of this. It pales in comparison to what she deserves. Golden showers--re-enacting gruesome scenes from Hostel, perhaps. Remember though that the best revenge is to live well, as the Viking proverb instructs. To those who can, get out of the temp racket, save your careers, so that in time you will live better than she--not just in terms of physical appearance and lifestyle, but in terms of one's career as well. I am pleased to say I am well on the way of doing so. Use the anger and hatred you feel at such degradation as the impetus of your salvation.
X Himself, aka Anakin
yes, saving yourself is important, but for the hoards of heavily indebted graduates to come we have an obligation to warn people about the likes of lily.
I have dual heart-bypass and an aortic valve replacement in my heart and then later on a pacemaker implanted to regulate my rythmn heart condition. I have having a hard time looking for a job without employers taking notice of my health condition. Since I graduated from college, by the way I am 62 years old and thought that taking a BBA degree and an MBA would give a better edge but it did no turn out that way. Instead, I was hospital a few months while enrolled on my MBA. Until now I need to pay my first installment and has gone on a forbearance. Instead, they are harrassing my sister who was my cosignor. Even to the extent that SALLIE MAE doesnt give a damn if I die, they said my student loan obligation will be shouldered by my cosignor.It is not my cosignor's fault that I got hospitalized and had major operations. Nor it is her fault that I would die from my ailment. Is this America? Where is the justice system that America is famous for?
Eduardo,
THIS IS OUR AMERICA. IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN THIS INJUST AND HEARTLESS. HEGEMONY, INDOCTRINATION,LEGAL SWEATSHOPS, THESE ARE ALL CONCEPTS THAT ARE AT THE CORE OF AMERICA.
The euphenisms used to hide the inequality and injustice applied to its citizens and global neighbors is seen specially at times when empathy is needed most.
My twin sister passed almost three years ago after open heart surgery caused her to bleed to death. She was only 25 years old. She had suffered from congestive heart failure her whole life. She had a pacemaker since the age of three and was aware that the future called for a heart transplant. However, the surgery in 2004 was going to be for a valve replacement.
After she passed away student loan services repeatedly called and asked to speak to her and everytime I informed them that she was deceased. Today they called and asked to speak to someone who knew her and I told them that she was deceased. They told me that they knew that. The purpose for their call was for a family member to send them her death certificate so that they could have official proof that she was indeed deceased. I asked the lady if she already knew that she was deceased, if it were not possible for them to furnish their own proof using her Social. She told me that it was possible, however, it was easier for them to have her family provide the proof. I asked her easier? I asked her to get the proof themselves and let my family and I have peace of mind. She quickly asked me why I didn't want to help my dead sister?!? THIS IS OUR AMERICA!!!!
Unfortunately, many of us don't have the health to put up with Lily's antics. Sallie Mae doesn't really care, however.
For those of us that are fortunate enough to have the gift of life and good health, it sucks to have to spend the best years of your life stuck in a horrible dungeon with a fat, fire-breathing bitch.
To the young people out there: don't believe the educational-industrial complex. You DON'T need a high priced education to succeed. Taking out student loans will only lead to life time of miserable, dead-end indentured servitude.
To the person who claimed conditions at 65 Bway have improved, you are on crack right? Things are so bad there I have to go to Starbucks to use the restroom! Also the new onsite manager is a gossipy fag who pits everyone aginst each other and plays favorites. The old redhead may have been a bitch but at least you knew where you stood.
Agree. Redhead was very direct. I don't trust gossipy fag.
Are the elevators at 65 Broadway still broken? I remember they used to creak and shake. They reminded me of Disney's Tower of Terror. i recall one day how the elevator suddenly snapped and dropped five floors. Everyone screamed and I literally thought I was going to die. The building manager apologized for the "technical" problem. I was so traumatized that I walked down 19 flights of stairs for the remainder of the project.
The only people more cheap than HHR and dechert are the building managers at 65 broadway.
Rumor has it that the One Battery Park Plaza building that houses HHR HQ is also very corrupt.
"Big Red" was let go from 65 after 3-4 years then from 1 Battery after 3-4 weeks. Does anyone know why?
I couldn't stand Big Red. Glad to hear that she is out.
65 Broadway had some of the worst bathrooms! 2 tiny stalls for over 100 people! If you thought the "Anita" project bathrooms were rough, you should have gone to 65. At least "Anita" made sure that the general counsel, "Ernie," saw to it that the bathrooms were cleaned and fully furnished with seat covers and toilet paper. "Ernie" used to grumble about the bathrooms, but at least they were clean most of the time. Lily, on the other hand, could care less. She spent most of the time in her private cube doing god knows what and would go home at 5pm, while her slaves would have to keep working late into the night.
When I was a pre-law student, I used to hear people say that big law firms were sweatshops. I thought they were speaking tongue-in-cheek and were speaking in figurative terms. I had no idea that some firms were literally sweatshops! Why not skip the law school tuition and go right to working in a garment factory?
Lily's private cube@65=The Death Star.
She has an office now. She interviews most of the temps. To the "golden shower" commenter, don't feel bad--Lily is known to be a "hard interview." She routinely lies to temps about the conditions on the project and their ability for advancement (as if!). She told one interviewee to back away because that person had a cold, and Lily couldn't afford to be sick (because she strains herself so much sitting on her ass). She does such a lousy job at the gatekeeping interviews that she lets in some true crazies/fuck-ups. It would almost be improveable if she threw the batch of resumes down a stairwell and picked all the ones that didn't remain in the air. That system pretty much mirrors the way the doc review is conducted.
This prospective New York Law School student can use the survival skills he is learning in his college human rights minor to one day survive in Lily's gulag.
Can someone please warn this fool what he is getting himself into? NYLS (total toilet) now costs 42k a year just in tuition!
http://www.lawschooldiscussion.org/prelaw/index.php/topic,85919.0.html
Okay, I have to respond about Ernie on the Anita project and the toilet seat cover issue. We got toilet seat covers for only about a week when Ernie got pissed off because somebody tore the holder. Ernie basically is a lazy, sullen fellow who doesn't want to be bothered while he is doing his crossword. I ofter wondered why Ernie hung out so much with the gay Republican who so desperately wanted you to accept his lifestyle.
If you ask Ernie to adjust the room temperature, he will grunt at you and not do anything. Update's offsite locations are sweatboxes. Ernie generally turns up the thermostat to the end and everybody sits in a pool of sweat. Then he has the balls to put a notice on the thermostats not to adjust them. No way does Update care about making the working environment clean and comfortable. And let's not forget the acrid smoke belching in the window every day on the Anita project.
With that many people aren't toilet seat covers a necessity? Weren't you worried about contracting a butt rash?
Why don't you take any responsibility for yourselves? If things were SOOO awful at HHR, why didn't you just quit? BECAUSE YOU WANTED THE MONEY. Lily doesn't "enslave" anyone. You all chose to get up in the morning day after day and work. Or "work". No one grabbed you out of bed and threw you in front of docs. PLEASE. If it sucked so bad why didn't you just leave and fold sweaters at the GAP?
Excessive monthly student loan payments.
There were/are other things one can do. Give me a break! I'm not saying these are the best working conditions, but if it was SO BAD for you, leave! I walked out on Paul, Weiss when the basement became too much to bear. Or maybe you aren't capable of doing anything else. Bottom line: it's a choice, and if you don't like Eggie or Lily or the bathrooms, or PW cockaroaches YOU CAN WALK OFF.
I walked off Paul Weiss a few years ago and the recruiter called me up at 10pm and started to scream at me like a five year old.
With a few years under one's belt and a good economy - yes walking off a project is feasible. But in a bad economy (with laid off top 20 corporate associates fighting over &20-25 an hr. projects)and sky high monthly student loan payments, walking off may not be so easy, esp. when agencies put subtle pressure on you not to leave a project during your "commitment" period.
This blog may be out of place in a good economy and busy litigation cycle but will undoubtedly prove to be invaluable when things turn to shit again and recent grads are facing $180k debt loads at 8 percent interest.
To the "golden shower" commenter, don't feel bad--Lily is known to be a "hard interview." She routinely lies to temps about the conditions on the project and their ability for advancement (as if!). She told one interviewee to back away because that person had a cold, and Lily couldn't afford to be sick (because she strains herself so much sitting on her ass). She does such a lousy job at the gatekeeping interviews that she lets in some true crazies/fuck-ups. It would almost be improveable if she threw the batch of resumes down a stairwell and picked all the ones that didn't remain in the air. That system pretty much mirrors the way the doc review is conducted.
Simply call me Anakin--others have. A lot of black clothing, dark, perhaps even sinister air are to explain for that, I suppose. Anyway, I no longer fret Fattie Lilly. This happened three years ago--and miraculously I have come back from the dead and now enjoy a meaningful, full-time associate position. I know people who did suffer under her reign, however--people I care for. So it still angers me. Not to mention that asking questions about where one sees one's self five years from now, or precluding someone because they will not commit themselves to turn down a permanent job, is wholly inappropriate for a shit temp job. I cannot say it is something I have dwelled on, but other indignities I suffered during these years have certainly ignited me with the anger and hate that animated me to overcome this, and other things besides.
X Himself-aka Anakin
The sycophantic gay Republican from the "Anita" project may have moved on to HHR. Would he be the Bert (beaky nose, pencil thin body clad in skintight pants) to K&E's Ernie?
I just received my "decorative wall scroll" attesting to my admission to the New York Bar in the mail today.
I will place it alongside my J.D. and regret that the two are a lot less useful than toilet paper (for the record, my J.D. is not from a "Toliet Law" school; it's actually from a pristine marble sauna with jets law school which specializes in Human Rights Law).
Toilet paper, a basic staple of civilized human existence, is no commodity to be taken lightly. When it is withheld, that is how people know they are being treated as less than human and working in a zoo. When people are told they must pay for their own time to shit and piss in a cesspool proffering one-ply, lousy toilet paper or none at all, that is a violation of the spirit of and the letter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination."
The Law got us into this mess; maybe the Law is our salvation.
Was anyone on the project when a Haitian lady had a nervous breakdown from all the stress of coding and crowded conditions? She spit and put a Voodoo curse on Lily and was carried out of the building kicking and screaming. That truly was a classic HHR moment.
Maybe Lily needs a little loving. Fat girls like to get laid too. They don't get it too often so they can be tigers in bed. The more cushion, the more pushin' I say. I would volunteer that comedian for the job who projects his voice all the time like he is on stage.
ZZ Top wrote:
" There were/are other things one can do. Give me a break! I'm not saying these are the best working conditions, but if it was SO BAD for you, leave! I walked out on Paul, Weiss when the basement became too much to bear. Or maybe you aren't capable of doing anything else. Bottom line: it's a choice, and if you don't like Eggie or Lily or the bathrooms, or PW cockaroaches YOU CAN WALK OFF.
ZZ Top | 04.05.07 - 11:30 am | "
ZZ: I agree with you. These otherwise skill-free people go to law school because they wish to enrich themselves, while hoping to have to perform no work, and assume huge debts when they forget they are middle-of-the-road, average performers who will not advance in any profession, regardless of education or opportunity. Given the choice between a factory in China or the partner track at Skadden, I'm beginning to think my fellow contract attorneys would be poor performers anywhere. If they don't like their assignment they should take their parents' advice: Shut up and do a great job at work.
Happy Coding!
Is that you, Egghead?
I love how inside that firm people secretly refer to the contract attorneys as slaves, while Lily sits on her ass all day making over 200k a year. Is it me, or is it time for Lily to go? Maybe the contract attorneys should do a work stoppage or slow down the pace of the review so Lily would actually have to get off her ass and do some work.
Kyle, you just referred to your "fellow contract attorneys." From whence the superiority complex? You are a self-loathing drudge. Get back to work, and stop wasting your firm's resources to use this forum to vent your low self esteem and attempt to infect others with it, like a nasty little virus. Please take heed of Eleanor Roosevelt's statement that "no one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
Run, run as fast as you can from that garbage pit.
Anakin
you sound more like Luke Skywalker.
May the force be with you.
Dear Helpme123 / "Tom the Tem,"
I respectfully request that you PLEASE turn the comment moderation feature back on. Some temps are referring to other temps by name and talking shit about each other. It's might not arise to the level of libel, but it's inconsiderate and inappropriate. This forum is about exposing sweatshops and taskmasters and evil go-betweens. Thank you,
Fellow Temp 4
don't censor.
If it was any other job, you'd quit. Temp attorneys get paid a lot of f'ing money to do not a lot with their very expensive JD's. Just quit. And get over yourself.
My supervisor used to refer to us as the working poor.
Re: lameasses, the reason people don't quit places like HHR is because it seems great to be on a long-term project. You think you don't have to have anxiety about the project ending, needing to collect unemployment while waiting for the next gig, etc., walking into a trap with the next gig promoted by those masters of spin, the agencies, etc. when the case is going on until the year 2525 and the docs keeping coming.
The agency also offers benefits. However, what you don't realize is that this is still employment-at-will at its most extreme, and you are subject to capricious, arbitrary and random firing. "Lily" and "the Eggman" are the masters of this--witchunts to keep people on their toes, the desire to bring in fresh, docile lambs for the slaughter. Both of them would be well served by brushing up on the Old Testament.
the voodoo lady was miss cleo and and guy next to her was dr. phil. I just started there almost 4 years ago that week.
Has every JD worked on that project at one time or another?
4 years later, I still hear about Ms. Cleo through the grapevine. Does anyone know where she wound up? Did Lily have to purify herself to wash away the hex?
The Vault Guide to the Top 100 law firms firms, 2002 edition, had this lovely tidbit about HHR: "Did somebody say there's a recession? Attorneys at Hughes, Hubbard and Reed wouldn't know. In 2001 they made it to the "600 club," meaning partners there had billing rates reaching $600 per hour. . . ."> further evidence of unjustified, hypocritcal cost-cutting.
"Hughes Hubbard seeks attorneys who are 'smart,' 'sociable' and 'hardworking. . . .">HAHAHAHAHAHHAAH--I guess they bent the hiring rules as well as the doorframes to accomdated "Lily" and "the Eggman."
"Associates articulate gripe after gripe regarding compensation."> further evidence of the firm's stinginess. Finally,
"Hughes Hubbard is not a lifestyle firm, as it has been touted to be."> law students, prosepctive associats and temps be warned!
Soon, the legal field will be experiencing a shortage of lawyers (hard to believe when NY Law School is pumping them out every year). Put a little effort into the job hunting process and find a non-temp job. There are plenty of jobs at places other than big law firms. If you have an ounce of goodness in your heart, there are many public service agencies that all have legal counsel departments that can put your time, education, and knowledge to better use. Maybe, just maybe, you could do something GOOD for society instead of complaining about supervisors that have to tell you when to come to work. (maybe 11 a.m. is too early for your lazy butt, it's only hours after the rest of the working world has started to be productive).
And to the person who says "lily" rhymes with the person real name....do you know the definition of RHYME???????? I thought you were an associate????
Being a contract attorney sucks in more ways than one. You, for one, have to pay all your own bar dues and CLE fees. Imagine having to spend your whole weekend listening to some hypocritical sleazebag (like Lerach) drone on about what it means to be ethical. Then, on Monday, having to go back to Lily's dungeon and then having to turn your entire paycheck to the bar authorities and sleazy CLE providers.
Dear Mr. / Ms. Lazy,
What planet do you live on? What is your evidence that there will soon be a shortage of lawyers?!
Hey Lazy,
You clearly don't know how to read. Neither this post nor any of the 90-somthing comments in this section registered a complaint about the imposition of an arrival time at the work sites. These posts and comments exposed horrific working conditions, building code violations, health and sanitation issues, unfounded condescension, witch hunts, espionage, bribery and mind-fucking and abuse of marginal power. If you are a doc reviewer, you give the rest of us a bad name. If you have one of those public interest jobs, it's a wonder you got hired at all, and you should not be wasting time and space (mis)reading in this forum.
Clearly, not a doc. reviewer. Who can afford to come to work at 11? On my project, people grovel to come to work at 7 am. Lazy, stop impersonating people and shut the hell up!
"The Vault Guide to the Top 100 law firms firms, 2002 edition, had this lovely tidbit about HHR: "Did somebody say there's a recession? Attorneys at Hughes, Hubbard and Reed wouldn't know. In 2001 they made it to the "600 club," meaning partners there had billing rates reaching $600 per hour. . . ."> further evidence of unjustified, hypocritcal cost-cutting.
"Hughes Hubbard seeks attorneys who are 'smart,' 'sociable' and 'hardworking. . . .">HAHAHAHAHAHHAAH--I guess they bent the hiring rules as well as the doorframes to accomdated "Lily" and "the Eggman."
"Associates articulate gripe after gripe regarding compensation."> further evidence of the firm's stinginess. Finally,
"Hughes Hubbard is not a lifestyle firm, as it has been touted to be."> law students, prosepctive associats and temps be warned!"
Back in '02, when the partners were entering the 600 club, they were nickel and diming their costs in every possible way. For one, they went out of their way to screw temps and the agencies. They put a ridiculous low-ball contract offer on the table. All the agencies agreed not to take the offer, but Hudson, of course, stabbed everyone in the back and accepted the large, low-ball contract. Temps were paid a measly $19 an hour with no benefits. That is one of the reasons there was so much turn over on that project. Other agencies had no qualms about pulling people off the HH assignment mid-project.
Do your research before you say outlandish, incorrect information:
http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/PropertyProfileOverviewServlet?boro=1&houseno=63&street=Broadway&requestid=0&s=A03C41B885B461E4F46BD08866A7430E
I am not surprised by the number of elevator complaints.
It also doesn't surprise me that they would shove as many people into a small space as is legally permissible under the NYC building codes.
The NYC building codes are clearly inadequate, if they allow for over 100 people to share two tiny bathroom stalls. . .
doesn't surprise me; the NYC building codes have a long history of inadequacy. Remember, the World Trade Center? All the emergency exits were pushed together in a small, compact, central area. The design, while unsafe, maximized floor space and allowed for the greater use of white-collar cubicle tenement villages. The design, while unsafe, was deemed legal. On 9/11, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald was allowed to arrive to work late, while his employees busy at their desks at 8:46 would soon perish a miserable, horrific death.
Why didn't we learn these kinds of lessons from 9/11? Oh, I forgot, we were too busy bull-dozing Iraq.
Does anyone remember "Strombfucker"? He was a short, scrawny associate who moved on to the team after making some moves on girls on another team? The guy would take a vacation every other week. Totally useless.
He actually had the gall to brag to us that he liked to work offsite because he was able to goof off more and not work as hard. Meanwhile, he would strike 15 minutes off our timesheets if we were more than 5 minutes late in the morning. TRANSLATION: He was able to goof off and not work hard because we were doing all the work.
It's no wonder a project like that is a complete disaster. There is no incentive to work hard other than getting canned. Why work hard as a team? Doing so will only ensure an end of the year bonus for Lily.
so why don't you find another project to work on?
No silly, leaving temporary projects on your own terms gets you blacklisted.
then go find a full time perm job. stop complaining. nobody forces you to stay there. there are lots of agencies and lots of jobs. go somewhere else if you don't like the conditions. your labor is a commodity. you stay becuase the money is good.
There are not that many full time jobs. Majority of jobs for most law school grads are temp doc. reviews.
Most people are forced to stay. Have you seen how much law school tuition has gone up?
I like the new format, Tom. Keep it simple and to the point. Just focus on the crap firms.
Lily was always a fan of the toga look.
Benefits? Do you mean the agency provided benefits where you had to pay 100% of the agency premiums?
Buying your own health insurance was a necessity in that place. There were so many people packed together in such close confines, and many of them came to work sick because they needed the money. 65 Broadway was, in essence, a human petri dish - a grand human experiment in virus/germ mutation. No wonder Lily didn't want anyone breathing on her. I wouldn't either. I wouldn't be surprised if the next bird-flu outbreak came out of that place.
Shocking.
"This is scary. I know someone with a highly contagious disease who could not take time off for fear of being fired. The whole floor could have been wiped out with the illness. If a a dozen temps get really, really sick or die they may slack up with some of the strict attendance rules."
I do work study in the admission office of a well-known, expensive TTT toilet. We, of course, are always trained to tout the slick propaganda and spin that the school's advertising consultants create. I have, however, recently taken it upon myself to secretly slip in the name of this blog and and other honest sources into the admission envelopes of incoming students.
Is this a joke? According to a news link on HH website it says,
firm was honored for it work on assisted suicide cases. It further singles out Lily as one of those honored. This is ironic because after exposure to Lilly all one wants to do is commit suicide.
Ironic. On their website, they also congratulate themselves on a recent win in a certain drug case. Not only did they glorify themselves for the win, but they also listed (by name) one of the lead plaintiffs in the case. I am sure the family and friends of this poor woman - who died suddenly, for whatever reason - wouldn't want the name of their deceased loved one smeared across the front page of a major law firm's website for the purpose of a tasteless marketing campaign.
I think everyone has crossed paths with Lily, at one time or another. I actually never worked with her, only interviewed with her. She seemed nice to me, at the time. I soon discovered however that things were rotten in Denmark. While we had 2 people to a desk, people under her watch were shoved in 3 to a desk. Always jealous that we were being given more leniency, Lily always wanted to "empire build" into our work area by putting more of her slaves into our space, no doubt in a vain attempt to gain more control over us. Our associate (a decent human being) caught wind of Lily's attempted encroachment and was able to hold her off for awhile.
Update called me for a 2 day gig, and they required 2 yrs of doc review experience. Are those Stepford wives for real?
There are really lazy temps out there who make the rest of us look bad. I am on a Skadden project where you can see how many documents people are coding every day. There is a lady here who either disappears, surfs the Internet or talks all day. She bills around twelve hours a day, and for the last four days, she has coded a total of 87 documents. This is clearly a person who doesn't want to work and wants something for nothing. No wonder in this environment, the likes of Lily comes forth and makes temping hell for people.
Well if you can see how many documents people are doing then clearly you'll look good (assuming you do a fair amount) and that woman will look bad. The idea that one rotten apple spoils the whole bunch, is just an easy way out for people to ill-treat contract attorneys.
Then why don't they fire her? Why do they keep around the likes of her - people who do absolutely nothing, but know how to kiss up/act like a snitch/act like a sheep by keeping quiet and following the modus operandi of the agency and firm.
I have seen it time and again. If there is a choice between letting somebody go who is productive and knows the issues on the case versus someone who is lazy and milks the hours, yet is friendly with the pre-Madonna staffing the case, the person who knows the issues will always be fired first.
That's why its just best to mind your own buisness on these projects - do what YOU feel is rightfor you, and ignore everything else. Bottom line is don't be obsessed with what your fellow temp is doing.
Yes, best to mind your own business in many ways, especially for your mental health.
However, the sad reality is if you do not get in there and fight, even if the most qualified, you run the risk of being slandered and sandbagged. It's highly likely that the least competent will aggressively push and talk their way into a better position.
The more competent, experienced professional will not and ultimately gets laid off in an untimely manner.
Many of the bosses on these projects are incompetent and inexperienced and get off on the brown nosing. It's how they got through law school, because they are unimaginative, talentless hacks.
The temp gig is often a cult of personality. If you don't worship the ego driven incompetent, you will be let go, especially if you know what you are doing, b/c you are more of a threat to your retard boss.
If you mind your own business, you are a major target.
All projects go through a downsizing phase where a certain number of people have to be let go as the project winds down.
The people who get to stay are usually the politicking brownnosers who know how to play the game and are adept at stabbing their fellow temps in the back.
Some of these brownnosers are wily and will usually use whatever trick they can to stay in the game: lies, gossip, flirtation, sex, and backstabbing are all fair game.
If you question such behavior, or dispute an inappropriate firing, you risk your agency cutting you off and refusing to place you on a subsequent project.
This cult of silence/cult of inappropriate supervisor worship/cult of juvenile temp. behavior creates an environment of hostility in the temp. attorney world.
If you want to stay employed on the project, you better focus your energy on your fellow temps/incompetent supervisor and not on the job at hand. Sad, but true.
lol. You guys act like a temp job is a permanent job and a permanent job is a "permanent job." I say, do whatever you have to do but above all don't take it that serious.
If you have bills to pay, the characterization of the job is irrelevant.
Is this handiwork of Lily, looking to slaughter some of her more experienced reviewers and replace them with some eager, wet behind the ears neophytes?
"***IMMEDIATE LONG TERM DOC. REVIEW FOR JD'S WHO HAVE PASSED THE BAR***
2006 Law School Grad? Passed the bar and are awaiting admission?
If so, we may have the perfect long-term temporary assignment for you!
We are currently staffing a large litigation document review project for a top NYC law firm.
Please know that this litigation document review project:
1. Pays a better hourly rate than any other entry/non-admission required document review project.
2. We offer benefits like NO OTHER LEGAL STAFFING AGENCY IN THE WORLD!
************************************************************************
INTERVIEWS WILL BE CONDUCTED IMMEDIATELY
************************************************************************
Candidates can expect to work approximately 47-55 hours per week
·Minimum of a 6 month commitment required
·Flexibility for (paid) overtime and weekends a must
·Interested JDs need to be within commuting distance to downtown NYC
·Tenure/performance based raises
·Eligibility for our benefits package which includes medical and dental insurance, flex-spend, 401k plans, paid holidays and MORE~! Hudson"
OMG!!!!!!!!!! That's Lily's gig. Run, run, run if you get the call. That's oone of the worse projects ever and there are tons of bad projects out there.
Run for your god awful life!!!!!
re 5 or so comments back: I can't believe that I am reading comments posted by purported attorneys who, inter alia, write "pre-Madonnna" (prima donna?) Didn't she sing that song that goes, "Last night I dreamed of some bagels?" The writing skills of many contributors to this site have evidnently atrophied from lack of use, but I request you at least make an effort to sound educated.
Good catch. Instead of he/she focusing on that woman he/she should be focusing on their writing/spelling.
Join the 21st century, you bitter, ignorant fossil. Pre-Madonna is, in fact, a valid, recently created, slang word.
"Pre-Madonna", i.e., someone who aspires to be as famous and successful as Madonna but fails because he/she is an untalented dumbass who should kill his/herself.
Speaking of Madonna; to all job seekers receiving a call from Hudson regarding the Lily project, take some advice from the Queen of Pop:
"Ring, ring, ring goes the telephone
The lights are on but there's no-one home
Tick tick tock it's a quarter to two
And I'm done
I'm hangin' up on you"
fresh blood.
You guys are lucky that you at least are given the chance to get a meal/car allowance. When i was there the only people that got a meal allowance were Lily's paralegal supervisors. Every night, I used to look forward to going home and eating a can of Ramen Noodles and/or Campbell's. My rather large, grotesque supervisor always, however, had the opportunity to shove a fully funded law firm meal down her hole at 5pm, in front of all our faces.
"Minimum of a 6 month commitment required"
They should at least let the people try out the hell hole for a week, before making them commit for 6 months.
Don't fall for Lily's spin. This shit is not good for your career. See if you can land anything else.
What else can I land that will pay me that much money and offer benefits? I passed the bar but am not yet admitted. I don't want to go to Paul Weiss and no one else is hiring entry JDs.
You say 'RUN', but to where? Are YOU going to hire me and offer me medical coverage?
Didn't think so.
Defer your loans and devote all your time to getting a job that offers some kind of experience.
Lily doesn't contribute to medical coverage. You will be offered the Hudson group plan where you will be responsible for paying 100 percent of the premiums.
"You say 'RUN', but to where?"
Exactly. So many unemployed JD's with no where to run. These profiteering, festering, rancid TTT law schools that charge over 40k in tuition have to be closed. I just read on the xoxoxo board that Loyola LA has a class size of over 500 students, while YLS has a class of only 200. What a scam.
Cool. I'll defer my loans and send you my rent bill.
I guess you have no choice other than to be Lily's slave. Better start saving to buy your freedom.
Lily (a/k/a "Big Red") is truly a miserable human being. I truly think the only joy she has in her life is making others miserable. She's good at it, too. When I was at 65 B'way she once spoke to me in such a demeaning manner that I cried for hours.
I remember Miss Cleo, Dr. Phil and Miss Cleo's voodoo freak-out. At least there was that amusement.
haha, the Miss. Cleo moment was some crazy shit. At the time, I thought we were going to have another Columbine or Virginia Tech. I seriously started to climb under my desk.
I have to say I felt kind of sorry for Miss. Cleo. Lily undoubtedly created the conditions that led to that breakdown. I have to say that everyday I felt like I was walking into a powder keg that was ready to explode.
Everyone working at Hughes, Hubbard ought to take some advice from a Renaissance poet:
"Quit, quit for shame! This will not move;
This cannot take her.
If of herself she will not love,
Nothing can make her:
The devil take her! "
Haha. I just had to make a laugh comment for this post. "Her best friend is a bag of cheetos, and her fat, mangled fingers are often coated with their orange powder. She drives her slaves (this is the slang for "managing" temps...."
HHR was a great project. I wasn't there for miss cleo but the guy who took the bar 5 times was pretty cool. Anyone remember the HHR associate (and resident toolbox) "Shiny-Co*k"? That was useless and a total loser who was totally lost in the real world outside of a classroom.
Lily's title has changed again to "E-Discovery Counsel"--an eighteenth year associate by any other name will smell as fetid.
goign back in time to post
DENTAL PLAN! LILY NEEDS GASTRIC BYPASS!
DENTAL PLAN! LILY NEEDS GASTRIC BYPASS!
DENTAL PLAN! LILY NEEDS GASTRIC BYPASS!
DENTAL PLAN! LILY NEEDS GASTRIC BYPASS!
DENTAL PLAN! LILY NEEDS GASTRIC BYPASS!
DENTAL PLAN! LILY NEEDS GASTRIC BYPASS!
DENTAL PLAN! LILY NEEDS GASTRIC BYPASS!
DENTAL PLAN! LILY NEEDS GASTRIC BYPASS!
DENTAL PLAN! LILY NEEDS GASTRIC BYPASS!
DENTAL PLAN! LILY NEEDS GASTRIC BYPASS!
DENTAL PLAN! LILY NEEDS GASTRIC BYPASS!
DENTAL PLAN! LILY NEEDS GASTRIC BYPASS!
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