Anyone else sick of doing everyone elses job on top of your own? I have been battling this since day one at the new firm (I'm a legal assistant, if you didn't know). We merged with another local firm back in 05, and is has been nothing but chaos ever since. We fired just about everyone that worked here as we were joining. They were completely unorganized, and the bookkeeper had somehow been getting by without paying a majority of their bills..hmm...how does that work?!?! We only kept two employees from the firm we merged with. One is a worthless piece of (you know where I'm going with this) and the other does get her work done, but shops online WAY too much and is never here a full week. Takes too many "mental health days".

Anyway..ever since we joined, everything has been pushed on G&R (the firm I'm with). We had to clean up their mess and then some, and have had no help with any of it. All of that has long passed, but the efforts of B&O (firm we merged with) haven't changed a bit. Whenever they don't know who to give a phone call to, or something comes in the mail that doesn't go directly to them, or hell, if a client comes in that they don't know, it is sent back to us. I'm the bookkeeper and I run COA (Commissioner of Accounts). I deal with clients on a daily basis, but only regarding their accounts with us. I deal with COA clients, but they hardly come in the office. We also handle Estate Administration cases here, which is completely separate from COA, but they still get passed on to me. But why? If it has the word "estate" or "guardianship" or "trust" in it, it comes to me. I don't do Estate Administration. COA is COMPLETELY different!!! There are three employees here that dabble in that, and I'm not one of them. But nooo. Everyone is too lazy to actually talk to the person or read the letter to see who it really goes to. It takes time out of my day to figure out who it should go to, and frankly, it's a bit embarrassing. I want the clients to think we're a little more organized than that. Whew!!

And this morning....AHHHHHHH! I'm going to lose my mind! I get a phone slip message from the receptionist (idiot, by the way..) asking that I keep up with flat fee payments made for one of the attorneys, because apparently he had a case this morning that he didn't know about, and the client had paid so the file should have been opened. 1. We aren't supposed to take a case until the flat fee has been paid, because too many criminal clients screw us over that way. 2. I'm not his paralegal. I don't work for one particular attorney in this firm. He has one paralegal that works directly for him, and another that does all his P.I (personal injury) work. Why can't his paralegal keep up with his cleints? She asks me all the time if someone has paid, and I tell her. Although she is perfectly capable of looking it up herself, she's just too damn lazy. I understand that you go "above and beyond" as an employee to satisfy your employer, but come on..I enter attorney and paralegal time as well for the firm. Explain this..we have an 8 hour work day. Why does she only have maybe (on a good day) 3 hours of time to enter? What is she doing the rest of the day? When the rest of us (some of us, anyway) are killing ourselves to keep this place running? I know the attorney she works for isn't happy with her, but she's in her 60's and he doesn't want to fire her..no one else will hire her.

I'm just tired of pushing myself and getting nothing in return. We have agreed to hire someone on part time to help out, but she'll only be here 2 days a week..still better than nothing. COA has been neglected with all the bookkeeping issues I've had lately..like I said, I'm the bookkeeper and I run COA..I shouldn't have to keep up with everything else too. We have 4 attorneys, 5 paralegals and 1 receptionist. There is NO reason why we should be behind..no reason why attorney's shouldn't know about certain cases..it's ridiculous.

Alright, I'm done ranting now..that wasn't even the half of it!!!!!

4 Comments View Entry

    As some of you may know, the 08 hasn't exactly been the best year for my health. I've always been the one to get sick often, but whew..I can only take but so much! My 21st birthday was last Tuesday, and I was scheduled to move into my new place Thursday. Monday evening, I came down with something..and was rushed to the doctor when my fever reached 102. Yeah..that sucked. I was diagnosed with a kidney infection. I still don't think that's what it is though..Tuesday, my birthday (Happy Birthday To Me!) I was taken to the hospital..stomach pains were becoming more intense, but I wasn't running a fever anymore. I had to get a shot of penicillin in my ass. Once again, happy birthday to me, right?

    I ended up staying at my parent's house that night. They didn't want me to be alone..how sweet!!! We had my little "birthday celebration" and I received quite possibly the BEST present ever..my brother and his girlfriend bought me an air hockey table!!! Not a Fisher Price air hockey table..a real one!! We had gone to play laser tag for his 23rd birthday and his girlfriend and I had played air hockey there, and I had said I wanted one..she said "well maybe I'll get you one for your birthday". Of course I didn't take her seriously! My brother told me they picked the table up a few days after that, and it had been "in hiding" at her place. I have yet to play at my new apartment though..it's rather sad.

    So, I moved Thursday...it went rather well. I was feeling 80% better. I was pretty sore the next day though..whew! But at least the stomach pains were going away, and I was able to return to work. I had an awesome weekend out with the girls..I needed that after the week I had!!!

    Once again, as some of you may know, I have pretty severe asthma...I was born with it. Just my luck, eh? I've been on and off medication my whole life..in and out of the hospital, blah blah blah. Countless mornings rushing to the ER..wonderful. I haven't had it THAT bad in years, but lately it had been getting rough again. I'd wake up in the middle of the night, gasping for air, and luckily had my trusty inhaler..until it ran out Sunday. I also have an in-home nebulizer, but didn't have anymore albuterol sulfate solution. Yeah, I was SOL. I woke up yesterday morning at about 1 am with an attack..There wasn't anything I could do. I didn't want to call 911, so I tried all the home remedies, trying to calm it down..ice water, putting my arms above my head, etc..nothing was helping. I was able to fall asleep for a bit during the night, but it kept waking me up. Not being able to breathe sucks!

    At about 6:45, I couldn't take it anymore..I still didn't want to go to the ER because they charge so damn much for something that I'd normally be able to do at home, so I called my mom and she came and picked me up..I was able to get an appointment with my regular doctor instead of going to Patient First, but they couldn't see me til 11:15. What kind of bullshit is that? I couldn't breathe!!! Glad they can put that on hold...And when I got there, all the front desk attendents saw/heard me gasping for air and coughing up a lung, but they didn't do anything about it..this went on for half an hour, then I was taken back. After a neb treatment, I was able to breathe, but still wasn't blowing too well on the peak flo (device used for asthmatics to measure breathing). I was prescribed Advair, Singulair, and Prednisone. Steriods. Yes, steriods. I've been on Prednisone a lot in my short life..they gave it to me for just about everything. I hate the stuff. It makes me giddy like a school girl, and sick to my stomach. Needless to say, it's a great 5 day diet. I can't eat on it. I blame the Prednisone for this long blog. I'm not a blogger. I'm just bored out of my mind. So yeah..I'm all drugged up right now..but the good news is, I can breathe! Woohoo! Hopefully I'll be able to get my asthma under control now. It really is a bummer :-(

11 Comments View Entry