XV

• Author: Lindsay Cameron
• Profession: Corporate attorney
• Pages: 133-144

133

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P    to the bathroom on ursday aernoon,

I was hit by a heavy wa of hairspray and perfume. I waved my

hand in front of my face in an eort to clear the air to breathe. In the

haze and fumes, the secretaries were primping for the F&D holiday

party like it was the prom. ere were only two times a year the

rm opened its wallet and treated the secretaries to an extravagant

night out—the holiday party in December and the summer party in

August. e rest of the time the rm coers were strictly reserved

for the lawyers.

Merry and bright was not exactly how I was feeling right now. I’d

just come back from Ben’s oce, where, aer mustering up the cour-

age, I’d asked if I could go home for a few days for Christmas. I might

as well have been Oliver holding out my bowl. Please sir.

It was no secret that Biglaw partners did not take kindly to vaca-

tion requests. Years back, an associate found a PowerPoint presen-

tation, titled “Associate Communication,” on the rm’s internal

document system, presumably used to teach partners how to inter-

act with associates. e stealthy associate posted it on the legal blog

Above the Law for all to see. Slide aer slide urged partners to “say

‘thank you’ and ‘good work’” when dealing with associates. One slide

suggested that partners “be sensitive to cancelling associates’ vaca-

tions,” reminding them that associates have families too. I remember

wondering what kind of adult was so socially inept that he had to be

taught to say please and thank you. But clearly Ben had missed the

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