legal secretary - Anonymous employee Jackson Lewis Employee Review

1.0
Aug 30, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are no good reasons, other than medical insurance and the 401K plan with matching funds. (Don't know if that is still true.)

Cons

Watch your back. They pretend to care about their employees when they care only about the big-name businesses who pad their pockets. The obnoxious madman screaming partner in the corner office ran through secretaries like water. They keep secret files on their employees so if you ask to see your file, they can produce the one they keep for such a request, and never show you the "real" one because you didn't know it existed! New associate attorneys are treated like dirt and are "encouraged" to "assimilate corporate culture" -- if they don't there is no chance of making partner/big bucks. They are nicknamed "the Rat" and "Union Busters" and it's true.

Explore other reviews about Jackson Lewis

5.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Plenty of resources, great attorneys and staff, focused on development and growth

Cons

Billable hours that are cut need to be made up.

1.0
Feb 9, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Remote work was the standard while I was there.

Cons

The culture toward non-attorney staff is deeply problematic. Non-attorneys are treated as expendable, overworked, and routinely disrespected by attorneys and management. Expectations are extreme and often unrealistic, with little regard for workload, boundaries, or basic professional courtesy. Training and onboarding are virtually nonexistent. Staff are expected to perform complex work with no meaningful guidance or institutional support, then blamed or punished when inevitable issues arise. Rather than coaching or problem-solving, management relies on a punitive, hostile approach. In my case, my management lacked the knowledge and experience required to perform or even fully understand the work they were overseeing, yet imposed rigid and unrealistic expectations on staff. This created an environment where employees were set up to fail and then disciplined for it. Questions or requests for clarification were not welcomed and were often treated as shortcomings rather than reasonable attempts to do the job correctly. The overwork is severe, particularly for non-attorney staff, with long hours treated as a baseline expectation rather than an exception. There is little acknowledgment of burnout, no meaningful support systems, and no genuine effort to improve conditions. Attorneys, by and large, do not view non-attorney staff as colleagues, but as tools to absorb pressure and blame. Overall This may be a tolerable environment for attorneys, but for non-attorney staff it is an unhealthy and demoralizing workplace. I would strongly caution anyone considering a non-attorney staff role here to think carefully before accepting an offer.

6
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