Pros
The only positive of working here is the immigration knowledge you gain. But let me be clear, most of this knowledge comes from making mistakes or by consistently bothering experienced co-workers. There is no streamline process implemented to help educate new hires on immigration. Essentially, you learn the hard way.
Cons
The negatives cannot all be discussed here. There are too many to mention. When I first started things were stressful, as you would expect any large firm to be. As the months went on things began to consistently get worse, from unmanageable workloads to working hours that no person should ever be subjected to. Yes, you are allowed to claim overtime with manager approval, but never did anyone place the actual amount of overtime they worked. Why? One because it’s simply inhumane and two because it would be held against you. Management would encourage you to speak up if you felt overwhelmed with your workload, but during performance reviews or during promotion cycles your lack of ability to maintain a high workload would be mentioned and of course have a negative effect. So many kept silent and lived at their desks. Several times there was no time to even take lunch. Management would also look the other way. On several occasions late at night, yes night, attorneys would walk by you on their way out knowing they should be making you leave with them. But work is first. You are second. This firm would rather carry you out in a wooden box then not meet SLA’s. Let’s also address One B.A.L. This. Is. A. Complete. Lie. Every firm has different procedures or no procedures at all. San Francisco is where the firm was founded and now that B.A.L. headquarters is viewed as Dallas there is a complete war between all offices. Who do we listen to? Who makes the decisions? Again, the firm does not work as one. It is a free for all. The power struggle between the firms and the partners is ridiculous and greatly hinders the ability of staff. Attorneys. Most are great. However, there are some who will let you take the fall and will never protect or stand up for you even when that attorney knows your drive and skill level. Several attorneys use weekly “team meetings” as gossip hour. Not only do they talk about partners and staff but also the attorney that sits right next door. If your manager does not respect your partner or the others in your office that gives the impression that you should not either. Its fine to have an opinion but some of it should stay in your head and not come out your mouth. Side Note: Every attorney that I worked with during my time at BAL and respected no longer works for this firm. The best leave and I’m glad they do. They deserve so much more. Human Resources. This department doesn’t exist in all firms. Remote human resource teams are a joke. How can you truly support an employee when you sit on the other side of the country? Even in BAL offices where human resources are located things tend to cross the line. From over serving alcohol at in office events to lining up attorneys of Asian ancestry to clarify who is who, because apparently they all look alike. Unprofessional, racist and completely disgusting, yet these are the things that happen daily within this office. And to my last complaint, because frankly I do not wish to spend any more of my time discussing this lunacy. The wonderful man who is the face of B.A.L. If you do not know who he is, read the other reviews. He is mentioned quite frequently. Reality is something this man has no concept of. Your employees do not want game rooms, gyms, cafes, etc. THEY WANT TO GO HOME. Making work home like is a complete miss of the mark. Many would much rather have a pay raise than electric scooters or surf boards flown in from Hawaii. He will also tell you to leave if you aren’t happy. He did this during an all hands meeting. Every staff member, attorney and partner heard these words. All because he could not handle the truth revealed in an employee survey. If you don’t want the feedback don’t ask for it. It’s not like you use it to better the firm.