I felt like Donnie Brasco yesterday.  The trial I had worked on for the past month settled on the eve of closing arguments.  I worked like a dog for the past week and a half preparing for trial and performing various tasks throughout the trial. 

(For the record, I’m the one at the bottom of the totem pole, so I did all the research and work in the office while the partner I worked for did the trial.) 

After the parties settled their dispute yesterday, I had an experience that made me feel like Johnny Depp’s character in Donnie Brasco. 

For purposes of this post and this blog, I’ll refer to the partner on this particular case as “The Senator.”  It’s an appropriate name for him given that he spends a lot of time in the bathroom.  (More on that in a future post, haha.)

My Insane Work Schedule

I walked into my office yesterday morning, and I was exhausted.  My work schedule for the past week and a half was insane: 

  • Friday, June 13: 10 a.m. to Midnight.
  • Saturday, June 14: 7 a.m. to Noon, 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, June 15: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Monday, June 16: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Tuesday, June 17: 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Wednesday, June 18: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Thursday, June 19: 9:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Friday, June 20: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Saturday: Spared!
  • Sunday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Thank You E-mail

So after all that time, effort, frustration, lack of sleep, etc., I hear through someone else yesterday morning that the case settled.  The Senator came to see me some time after that and explained, in all of 60 seconds, the terms of the settlement.  (We forced our hand with the settlement thanks to directed verdicts we obtained–based on work that I did–on several of the claims).  He briefly thanked me for my hard work. 

After that, I receive the following e-mail from the Senator, which he sent to everyone who worked on the case:

“We settled this morning.  On behalf of everyone, I want to thank all of you for the extra hard work you put in over the last few weeks for the trial.  We could not have done it without you.  The client is very happy with the result.  We wouldn’t have achieved this without your hard work.  We appreciate it.”

And that was it.  Here’s your pat on the back.  On with the day.  Proceed to the next order of business. 

Donnie Brasco And Me

In Donnie Brasco,  Johnny Depp played an undercover FBI agent named Joseph Pistone who infiltrated the mob.  Throughout the movie, he finds himself identifying more with the mob and his life within it than he did with his life outside of it (i.e., his life in the FBI and with his family).  He lost himself in his undercover role as Donnie Brasco, and this merging exhausted him emotionally and psychologically, and it almost destroyed his marriage and his family. 

Nevertheless, Pistone’s efforts resulted in hundreds of arrests and convictions.  He single-handedly brought down an entire segment of the mafia. 

In return for his efforts, the FBI gives Pistone a small medal at the end of the movie in a small, anti-climactic ceremony.  The scene could not have been more perfect in illustrating the FBI’s lack of appreciation and concern for Pistone’s efforts and the emotional and psychological toll those efforts had on him.

Not that my job is the same as that of an FBI agent, but the effort and work that I put in over the past week and half for this trial felt like a marathon.  The insane requests and duplicative work were mind-boggling, and I had to keep myself from losing my cool several times.  It was a constant grind that affected me physically and emotionally.  I barely saw my wife and daughter, and I spent more time in my office at work than I ever imagined.  It was downright brutal, and yesterday morning, I was just burned out.

So what do I get in return for my efforts?  What do I get for the work that helped make this case go away? 

A three-line e-mail saying thank you.  That’s it. 

At least Donnie Brasco got a medal.   

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