For my day job I’m a lawyer with over 10 years in private practice (I know that’s not the best confession to make so early in the life of my blog but stick with me it will get better), I recently changed jobs about a year ago and crossed over to the other side, becoming an in-house lawyer, and came to the realisation that my 10-years working at 2 international law firms was more than enough for me.
My first international law firm experience came at a New York law firm that had Thai management. There the big boss imagined that it was his own firm with his own vision after a while I came to the realisation that his vision revolved around the words “sweat shop” and “slave labour”.
"Why are you using it all? I don't understand why people like using it all!"
This question was asked whenever a lawyer used their entire annual leave. I soon learnt that this applied to any use of annual leave or personal time. I suppose it was a business strategy for making us be more productive as there was never any time wasted making plans for after work or the weekend, even when the building was being fumigated with insect repellant we were still expected to be at our desk at 2am with our gas masks at the ready.
“It’s all about the EQ sweetie”
As well as being a strict adherent to Victorian labour relations my boss at this firm was a keen advocate of having fit and alert workers. Your EQ abilities got a really good work out as my boss just loved to bang tables and slam doors leaving us to interpret the level of anger and our reaction to this. Any one who wasn’t so in tune with their EQ would have an intensive workout as they bounced, skipped and rolled to dodge the box files that came hurtling towards them. My next job I tested for a very high EQ score but I think I should have worked more on dodging box files and I could have ended up with a more lithe and flexible body.
“Don’t trust the locals”
My last international law firm was an English one where I had a foreign boss. Although I learnt a lot from him, confidence in my EQ, IQ and even my Bar-Be-Q abilities took a battering, during that period all I was serving were burnt chicken wings.
My next boss was a perfectionist unfortunately this perfectionism manifested itself in a mistrust in the abilities of any Thai lawyers. You’d think that would be a problem considering where we are but it didn’t really become apparent until the law firm was taken over by a Thai law firm and lots and lots of Thai lawyers started turning up on Monday morning. My foreign boss reacted as any sane person would do and drew me down with him into his office which soon became more like his ‘bunker’. And like any good general he stayed far behind the lines and let me do all the fighting.
“Back from the front”
Now I’m an in-house lawyer for an international corporation, yes I know I am still a lawyer and yes I am working for a big bad multi-national but I am happy. I’ve swapped conversations about new bags or watches? Which brand? Fake or real? For people that talk about families, children and the real things in life. I don’t miss the backstabbing and the scheming. I'm happy working with colleagues that have the same intentions – to do the best for the corporation and not to get rid of each other. Plus my friends don’t make strange excuses anymore for why they can’t make it to my Bar-Be-Q’s.
P.S. This thing was written with me screaming it out LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10 things I used to have to deal with at work that I don’t have to anymore:
1. I don’t have to feign interest in the latest purchase of a luxury good
2. I don’t have to spend half the working week looking for a new job
3. I don’t spend the weekends wishing Monday wouldn’t come
4. I don’t spend the weeks waiting for Friday to arrive
5. I don’t have to remember to bring a gas mask to work every first Tuesday in a quarter
6. I don’t waste my days listening to office gossip about the faults of my colleagues
7. I can use my husband for emergency emotional support that is not related to work
8. I no longer have to be so anal about logging my time spent on work
9. I now can make plans for long weekends
10. I now serve BBQ chicken that isn’t burnt
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