u/Next_Community_8027

I have never felt compelled to post on this subreddit before, but I have officially run out of options. I share an office with another associate who has truly extraordinary body odor. This is not an occasional “forgot deodorant after the gym” situation. It is a persistent, unmistakable smell that has effectively become a third occupant of our office.

I have tried every indirect intervention I can think of. I’ve suggested that we always leave the office door open because “the air gets stuffy.” I’ve conspicuously opened the door immediately after he closes it, and I bought an air freshener. I’ve made comments about how hot the office gets and how I sometimes feel like I need another shower in the middle of the day. Nothing has landed.

Compounding the problem, he works out before coming to the office and keeps his dirty gym clothes under his desk for the entire day. There is frequently a damp T-shirt, shorts and socks stuffed into a gym bag approximately four feet from where I am trying to review documents. I cannot overstate how much this contributes to the overall environment.

My bigger concern at this point is reputational. Partners and others regularly come into our office to talk to one or both of us. I have become increasingly paranoid that they walk in, immediately smell the situation, see two men sitting there, and conclude there is a 50% chance it is me. Last week a partner came in, stopped talking for about half a second, looked around the room and then asked, “Do you guys want to leave the door open?”

What is the protocol here? Do I tell him directly? Tell office management? Ask for a new office and refuse to explain why? Is it permissible to anonymously send deodorant through interoffice mail?

I am genuinely concerned that if this continues for another six months I will become known around the firm as “the associate who smells,” despite being completely innocent.

There’s a recruiter in my regional BigLaw market whose LinkedIn presence is basically a running box score of how incredibly busy and successful their candidates supposedly are. Every week it’s some variation of: “12 candidates interviewing this week,” “4 offers accepted since Monday,” “7 candidates starting new roles this month,” “another huge week of interviews ahead,” etc.

What’s odd is that there is essentially zero substantive content. No discussion of hiring trends, what firms are looking for, which practices are active, compensation, interview advice, or even vague market observations. Just a constant stream of numbers designed to convey that an enormous amount of hiring activity is happening through this particular recruiter.

Some of the timing also makes me skeptical. There have been posts about multiple candidates interviewing during periods when I would have assumed BigLaw hiring was basically dormant (e.g., Thanksgiving week, the week between Christmas and New Year’s, holiday weekends, etc.). Maybe I’m underestimating how much lateral interviewing happens at those times, but I’ve been around law firms long enough that the idea of multiple partners enthusiastically scheduling lateral interviews on December 27 seems... ambitious.

The part that bothers me is that these posts seem aimed at lawyers who are unhappy with their jobs or struggling to lateral. If the numbers are exaggerated, they create the impression that the market is absolutely booming and everyone else is getting interviews and offers left and right. I could see that giving people a lot of false hope about what the lateral market actually looks like.

Curious whether people in recruiting see this kind of thing regularly, or whether I’m being overly skeptical.

Incoming first year at a V20 in NYC and wondering how gaming is viewed culturally in biglaw. I’m a pretty serious gamer and it’s honestly one of the main ways I decompress. I have the normal stuff (PS5, Switch, Steam Deck), but I’m also into some more niche hardware: ASUS ROG Ally, Analogue Pocket, a modded Miyoo Mini Plus for retro games, and a small mechanical fight stick that I use for certain games. I also have a Meta Quest 3 and occasionally use a haptic vest/controllers for VR.

Would it be considered unprofessional to bring some of this stuff to the office and play at my desk during downtime? Obviously I would pause immediately if something important came up, I got an email that needed a response, or someone needed me. I was thinking the Steam Deck/ROG Ally would be pretty unobtrusive. I could also keep the fight stick in a desk drawer. The PS5 would probably be more noticeable since I’d need to connect it to one of my monitors.

The one I’m less sure about is VR. I play a few games where I’m wearing a headset over my eyes, sometimes with haptic gear, so I realize there is at least a possibility that a partner could walk into my office and find me wearing a Meta Quest and physically ducking behind my desk. But again, I’d pause immediately and take everything off if something work-related came up. I’d also keep the volume low enough that I could hear someone knocking. 

Also, how does this work with billing? If I’m waiting for a partner to respond to something and playing a game in the meantime, is that still billable because I’m effectively on standby for the matter? For example, if I spend 45 minutes playing Call of Duty while waiting for comments and then immediately pause when the comments come in and turn the document, would people generally bill the entire block or pause the timer while actively gaming?

Would appreciate hearing from other gamers about how you’ve navigated this, especially at more traditional firms. Also curious where people draw the line with their equipment.