Tom,
Don't leave Paul Weiss's "Piggy Swooney" (her nickname at work is "Pig") off your radar. She single-handedly turns one of NYC's worst document reviews into even more of a hellish experience. Her PMS-like outbursts, constant surveillance, encouragement of paralegal snitching, and snide e-mail "reminders" make working with her all the more unbearable. In my opinion, "Piggy Swooney" ranks right up there with Anita and Lily.
14 comments:
I just want to certify that it was I, young Anakin, who coined this clever nickname. Those who know me know I have a pension for this. One temp with atrocious table manners, I call Chewy O. Pigsnout. Has a certain ring to it--don't you agree? I have others, that I shall refrain from mentioning.
And yes--Piggy Swooney is simply not a good person. One of a myriad ugly, piggish human beings who have consummated my turn to the Darkside, as I hold all of humanity in utter contempt and disdain.
Dressed in Black,
X Himself--aka Anakin
Don't let the scumbags that run the document review sweatshop racket destroy your perception of humanity. Get a hobby. Volunteer at a charity. If you surround yourself with monsters all day, you will turn into one.
"Piggy" does indeed utilize paralegal snitches. On my project, we were working with an undercover spy who reported everything we said or did to piggy.
I am no longer temping; I have found a meaningful, permanent position. But those dark-days in temp world have solidfied my turn to the darkside. I hated people before, as an arrogant law student. These more harrowing times only intensified my embrace of misanthropy--my turn to the Darkside.
X Himself--aka Anakin
Templand destroys souls.
Piggy's behavior sounds absolutely juvenile.
Couldn't someone just report her to her boss, explaining that she is being unprofessional?
Piggy is the master of her slice of the temp. universe.
Anakin, you meant "penchant," not "pension."
Yes, I know--my apologies. I stand corrected. One tends to submit the publish your comment button a bit too hastily on these things.
About Miss Piggy, it is worth noting that a temp coder was sick in the hosptial for a couple of weeks on a long-term project. She had him dismissed. Another story, a very effeminate, flamboyant gay fellow--who made sure everyone knew he was gay--was discussing the case in the Jury Room (the firm cafeteria), despite being told not to do so; a partner overheard him. Miss Piggy came in , the bull-pen of the "dungeon" screaming at everyone the next morning, told us if it happens again, we would ALL be fired for what this one fellow did. As for him, he disappeared the next day. Another fellow, who was otherwise very conscientious about his work duties, foolishly raised a stink concerning confusion about the meal reimbursement program for outside vendors. Although his queries were a tad insolent, he was also dismissed.
Even during my brief stint as a staff attorney there, she subjected me to a great deal of unpleasantness. I remember being subjected to a veritable inquisition for supposedly being rude to a box guy when I made the mistake of asking him whether he was aware of boxes in my office that may, or may not, have required removal. So it is not as if she only torments temps. Anyone not on the partnership track is subjected to her tyranny.
Happily, this is in the past--I am now a real attorney doing real attorney work: research, writing, court appearances. Miss Piggy is just a senior staff attorney, with no meaningful skills. Notwithstanding this, I will never forget not only this, but other indignities as well.
Anakin
I need to correct you. He wasn't fired because he was talking about the case. At lunch in the jury room, he quietly told one of his co-workers that the temp. job sucked - boy, did it ever! Someone was eavesdropping on the private conversation, and informed one of the partners who quickly informed Piggy. After lunch, Piggy came in and started screaming. It was surreal. She was acting like a scorned figure in a Greek tragedy; arms flailing, screaming, etc. I remember her moaning out loud, "don't you ever." The person who made the off the hand comment was immediately terminated.
When you work at Paul, Weiss, you enter Stalin land. Private conversations are monitored (even during your unpaid lunch break). Speaking out against the "regime" will quickly lead you to be purged. Even when you are working with dead cockroaches with a crazy lunatic, you must always praise your Paul, Weiss masters.
"Couldn't someone just report her to her boss, explaining that she is being unprofessional?"
Piggy's bosses are disgusting, human-rights violating, money whores. For years, they paid their temps the lowest, and had them working in the most substandard of conditions. Piggy's actions just reflect those of the masters.
One more thing about Piggy's bosses:
They are unethical. In the Triedman article, they clearly got caught with their pants down, in that their practice of billing their clients for attorney level work, while paying out paralegal wages was exposed. Like a spoiled child who had just wet their pants and didn't want to play anymore, Weiss's reaction was to just fire all the temps and start over again. These are the kinds of low-class trash that Piggy is taking orders from.
Maybe she is related to Anita!!!
More likely that she is related to Lily.
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