The Probate Pro Reviews

Having a good work/life balance does tend to translate to lower than average pay. While we did get the Coolest Places to Work for 2018, one of the reasons listed was paid time for volunteer work, however, I have seen no evidence that is actually something offered. The firm is growing very rapidly and I don’t always get the impression that this growth has been thought out and planned for enough. The clients can be very difficult and unpleasant to deal with. I know this is true anywhere, but we seem to have a higher percentage. While the job title is paralegal, it is really more like legal secretary. Answering phones takes up a lot of the day, and not in a talking to and helping clients way, but in a taking messages and transferring calls kind of way. There’s also a lot of scheduling appointments and sending out mail. If you are hoping to be doing legal research, writing motions, etc., you will be very disappointed. There is an unspoken pecking order where attorneys can come in later and/or leave earlier while support staff has to punch a clock, take lunch at a specified time, and make up time missed. It can be frustrating to watch an attorney leave at 4:30 because they don’t have anything else to do that day while we have to run out the clock even if we have finished all of our work. Law clerks also rank above paralegals, with opportunities to go to court, individual time learning from attorneys, and meatier assignments.

The COO is ruining the company and the owner is blind to it. The COO does not listen to employee issues and help fix them, instead he ignores them and hope they work themselves out. People are leaving because they are given so much work they cant take their PTO time and/or are asking for help but not getting it. There are 40+ employees with 40+ different sets of rules. Lawyers have cart-blanch to do and work whenever they want. One member on the Management Team only works 4 days a week (they claim because "I have kids its too hard") Yet, many support staff have kids, but do not get that kind of treatment. They make all salary Support Staff employees punch a time clock, and if you don't put in 40 hours they take PTO away from you, but if you work over, they don't pay you overtime or use flex time. The COO has his favorites, and no matter how many employees come to him about a certain employee, he does nothing about it. The COO has all the authority. No one in any department can make a decision. You get responsibility but no Authority. They claim to be using the Gino Wickman "Traction" management system, well in my opinion, if they were, so many great employees would not have left. I hope the Owner wakes up and sees how his firm is imploding by the hands of the COO. As the saying goes, A Poor Manager Can Make Great Employees Leave.