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Practising Law Institute

Engaged Employer

Practising Law Institute reviews

3.9

81% would recommend to a friend

(15 total reviews)

Sharon Crane

100% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Reviews by job title

15 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

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1.0
Nov 10, 2016

beware

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Invariably, when an accurate negative review is added, glowing fabricated reviews appear.

Cons

Stressful, negative, unhappy environment. Low pay, no growth, no development. Read the real reviews.

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Practising Law Institute Response
9y
We acknowledge that this reviewer is not having a good experience at PLI, and that is certainly disappointing. However, accusing the organization of fabricating positive reviews which are undeniably written by PLI employees enjoying their employment is not only disrespectful to those employees, it is an affront to the ethical values by which we conduct our mission. It is also disappointing that the reviewer is not bringing the issues to the attention of those who might help – namely, his or her manager or members of the HR team. We encourage the reviewer to consider these options so we may address the concerns directly. PLI makes an enormous effort to listen and be responsive to its employees. We seek out their input through surveys, suggestion boxes, and through various staff gatherings throughout the year. We welcome and have acted on many employee ideas. We may not always be able to satisfy every employee’s requests, but we whole-heartedly aim to provide competitive salaries, generous benefits, professional development and promotional opportunities, as well as ample paid time off to emphasize our commitment to work/life balance. These are not just words. The evidence is found in our policies, low turnover and daily actions. Sincerely, Joan D. Sternberg VP, Human Resources Practising Law Institute
1.0
Oct 17, 2016

Stagnant and stressful

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefit package. Stability is possible Co-workers are generally enjoyable. As a program assistant, I learned a lot about the law.

Cons

Job is almost impossible to complete in standard work week and OT is discouraged. Attorneys have little understanding of the systems they manage and have unrealistic expectations of their assistants. This is an environment where one mistake is a serious and fatal error and yet few things an assistant's work on cannot be easily corrected. Stress level is very high for an administrative position. Style management of Program Attorneys is micromanaging and attorneys are trained by upper management to increase this type of management. There are no penalties for mismanagement of employees by upper management. The company motto seems to be whatever the manager does we support. Unfortunately this results in a very unhappy work environment. To sum up: Low salaries for high performance expectations. Unless you are an attorney, there is no where for you to grow. At a comparable institution, the entry level salary is about 5-7K more a year, with similar benefits and time off, with about half of the responsibilities and no project assistant responsibilities. You may even be allowed to make an error! If you are a career admin, please note that this position is not a good long term stop on your career arc. The title and responsibilities hinder hireability outside of PLI. The entry-level salary is identical to the salaries offered for administrative assistant positions with fewer responsibilities.

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Practising Law Institute Response
9y
It is always disappointing to read this kind of review. The HR team and the head of the referenced department would have welcomed the chance to talk with the employee and address the concerns raised. Conversations do take place frequently between our staff and HR or their managers, and we strive to listen and find solutions. We place a premium on work/life balance at PLI. As a result, we tend not to utilize OT. That does not mean it is unavailable if the occasional need arises, such as meeting a deadline. If the reviewer believes the workload is unreasonable, we strongly encourage him/her to speak to his/her manager or the department head. The last thing we want is for any employee to feel stressed at work. We try to demonstrate this every day with our wellness programs, generous paid time off and Summer Fridays. Making mistakes is something we all do, and PLI certainly does not condone managers treating staff in an unforgiving, disrespectful manner when they occur. We take this commitment seriously, and have spoken to managers about their approach when this issue is brought to our attention. Unless we know this behavior is occurring we cannot properly address it. Salaries are something we constantly review. Many positions have been adjusted in the last year, and more are being evaluated as we begin our annual appraisal and merit increase program. Our benefits are outstanding, including a generous retirement savings plan, and we frequently ask for and apply employee input on a host of topics. Recent examples include ideas for employee events, professional development and benefits. As posted earlier this year on Glassdoor, nearly half our employee group has been promoted at least once while at PLI. We anticipate several more promotion announcements in January. While we cannot guarantee every employee will find a satisfying career trajectory, we certainly make an effort to encourage professional growth in many ways (including learning about the law, as the reviewer mentioned). Sometimes issues at work (as in life!) are caused by miscommunication or the lack of it altogether. To that end, we are keeping our doors wide open and welcome hearing from our staff often. Sincerely, Joan D. Sternberg VP, Human Resources Practising Law Institute
1.0
Mar 27, 2016

getting out

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Actively looking to get out of pli now that economy is improving and jobs are plentiful

Cons

Low pay, stress, no advancement, political game playing, favoritism

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