DirtyLAWndry reader - “Jill” - has an interesting story about her contract job that she wants to share.

Hey DirtyLAWndry! I am a contract attorney working at [a medium-sized firm]. This is the first legal job I’ve been able to get since I graduated last year. I hate it, but I have no other options at the moment. Anyway, we have two openly gay partners that … well … are each other’s partners. I honestly have no problem with that because I live in a big city and it’s not unusual to see lesbian or gay couples.

What I can’t stand is the constant bickering between the two of them. Whenever they have a fight (which is often and over every little thing), there’s always a huge battle royale and everyone in the firm has to know about it. It’s so weird because they expect everyone to take sides. And I mean everyone…even clients who may happen to be in the firm at the time. I just think it’s so unprofessional, especially when they start with the personal attacks on each other’s anatomy, the rolling of the necks, and the swaying of the index finger.

Most people laugh it off because they’re used to it, but I’m worried about the firm’s reputation. I plan on getting a better paying job once the economy picks up. This is the only real legal experience that I have and I’m worried about putting this firm’s name on my resume. When judges and attorneys learn where I work, they usually want to know about the partners and their latest antics in the office. It seems like they feel my firm is a big joke because of these two partners. Should I talk to the partners and let them know about our reputation outside of the firm?

DirtyLAWndry’s Quick Answer: HELL-TO-THE-NO! “Jill”, getting fired won’t look good on your resume either. I would keep my mouth shut. Besides, as a contract attorney, you don’t technically work for this firm. Your employer is the temp agency that assigned you to this firm. So, I believe you would have to put the temp agency’s information on your resume. Or, at least, that’s how it used to be. But, maybe I’m wrong so I will post the question for you.

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