associate attorney

records clerk

Phelps Dunbar LLP

I worked as a litigation paralegal. The firm culture is welcoming, the pay scale is slightly above average, and the schedule provides some slight flexibility. As long as you clock 7.5 hrs/day it's not a big deal to show up a little late or leave early. That said, they have an inconsistent approach to remote work. Attorneys have carte blanche but remote plocies for staff staff are individual and arbitrary. In general the firm has an old fashioned aversion to remote work. 

There seems to be poor communication between managing attorneys and HR that leads to confusion regarding who is the authority on managing staff. In general it feels like management is absent and/or disinterested in fixing problems. It is a place where good employees are rewarded with more work and bad employees with less.

There is a high rate of turnover so be prepared to constantly be learning the quirks of new attorneys/dealing with new staff/associates learning the ropes.

My position for the majority of my tenure with this firm was with the Litigation Department working with three attorneys.  I was also assigned to support the firm's Admiralty Law attorney.  I particularly enjoyed working with the Admiralty Law attorney and his practice as this provided me with additional learning experiences in a field other than commercial and insurance defense litigation.  It was very interesting to learn about admiralty law and I welcomed the challenge and in particular working with this attorney who was in the process of entering the mediation aspects of law.

My last job assignment was as floating senior secretary assigned to the entire Litigation Department and to continue as support secretary for the Admiralty Law attorney.

Horrible work environment. Staff is made aware they are beneath the partners. Very unfriendly and unwelcoming environment. Work life balance is not a concern here, you are employed with Phelps, Phelps is expected to be your life and your first priority. If you do well at your job, you're given more. The people who do poorly at their job are able to float through and are not given work. They DO NOT fire people, and I have heard partners say that. If you're look for a place to just collect a paycheck, this is the perfect place for you. Set the bar low upon starting and you shouldn't be given much work. You do  NOT have to meet your billables. Horrible place to work if you want to be good at your career. Looking for a safe place to just collect a check, apply today! 

i wouldn’t recommend this firm if you want a personal life. Even for staff, it’s all about billable hours and where I worked, there was not enough work to meet the goal. Partners are unfriendly and  arrogant. Manager was a paranoid workaholic and made the entire department miserable. Hated granting PTO time and wanted you to take your laptop with you on vacation when you did take off.  The work was relatively interesting and with different management, it would probably be an ok place to work.

Office environment is toxic and unfriendly. There is no advancement opportunities. Work life balance does not exist here. No working from home unless they need you after hours in which they expect you to always be available. Horrible 2 years and during my two week notice period, not a single word was spoken to me other than a sad excuse of an exit interview. I do not recommend working here. The attorneys put on quite the show in the interview. The honeymoon phase ends on day one. Incompetent management who likes to fuel office gossip.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The staff are nice people but just always watch your back. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Having an office manager who sets you for failure,  then tries to blame you for it. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Staff is nice.  Management couldn't care less about you though.  They try to blame you for not having enough billable hours,  when things get slow. It gets slow a lot too. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Work as hard as possible,  then get blamed for not working hard enough.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The work environment is delightful and makes “going to the office” easy! Team work is utilized, great inter office communications. and the system is set up well. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I didn’t find this company to be stressful. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very balanced. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Typical paralegal duties.

Relaxed but professional office atmosphere. Very little micro-managing by attorneys and managers which allowed employees to work at their own pace and complete assignments without having anyone breathing down their necks. Entire office worked as a team and everyone was friendly and professional to each other. Monthly lunch meetings helped the office become a team.

The litigation department was literally just that, The Swamp of Sadness. Miserable (and MEAN) partners, old boy hierarchy, associates and paralegals scrambling for hours, antiquated environment. Constant turnover of staff after pushing out the older generation who made “too much” money. You either sell your soul to work here or you realize quickly you’d like to not be a whippet boy to bunch of cranky, greedy misanthropes. 

Great place to start a career. Managing Partner at the Tupelo Office is incredible! Having GREAT Management day to day is a HUGE plus! Productivity is relativity high due to client workload. Awesome resources in place to ensure success.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Associate attorney 3 salaries reported	$140,000 per year
Records clerk 1 salary reported	$15.50 per hour

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