Anonymous Lawyer

I've been in the office since about 11:00 this morning. It's just me and the associates who actually want to make partner. The rest of the firm is at home, wasting their day as their prospects for career advancement wither smaller and smaller. I came in and went to the bathroom and saw an associate in there swallowing some pills. Asked him if he was sick and he said he wasn't, just taking some bootleg Adderall to stay alert in the office and get his work done despite the hangover from New Years. I'm not sure how prevalent things like that are, but anything that can help them get their work done, it's not for the firm to be criticizing productivity-enhancing lifestyle choices. I'd like to think we have the same attitude Major League Baseball used to have, before all this steroid testing nonsense. If they're doing something that hurts the firm, then, yes, we have to address that promptly. But if it's keeping the clients happy, I don't think we need to be paternalistic about it. These are adults, and adults can make their own choices, as long as they keep their Blackberries on twenty-four hours a day.

Oh, and Happy New Year.