The New And Improved Fashion Board

[dc_chef]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
I've never worked under a tyrant who pickd on me. For a few years, I worked under a wildly unpredictable guy who liked a couple associates, including me, but was insanely cruel to, and fired some other people. That was annoying, but definitely kept the office entertaining, in a "I wonder what kind of fireworks we'll see today" sort of way.

I'd instead been subject to very dour partners who either have no personality or are clinically depressed. They tend to work a nagging thing on me, chiding me for joking or digging into me for not paying attention to things. I always paid attention and got results. I think they just wanted me to be invested in my work to the degree they were, and thought I was a lightweight because I was never talking about any legal stuff, but always bullshitting with people about pop culture crap.

One guy told me "It's over, lets get to work," when I was talking about 9/11... just a month after the attack. He barely left his office to watch the 9/11 coverage with everyone else when the damn thing was happening. He knew nothing of sports, music, movies, etc... His whole life was just talking on that headset and handing in timesheets. He'd ask me about cases and when I couldn't rattle off obscure case facts for him, he'd gently, but in a scolding tone, ask me why. He's also get mad that I never asked for help. I think he was offended that I wasn't interested in it.

Is there a name for those types? And is there some unwritten rule among some lawyers that having a personality is bad because it indicates a lack of enthusiasm for the work that ought to be taking up all of your mind?

The worst that I ever worked for was a partner who stabbed me (and several others - it's the partner's MO) in the back so hard the knife came out through my chest. Then the partner lied about it, with other partners pretending that the backstabber had nothing to do with the review, instead, blaming a brand new partner for the review.