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Have you ever been put on probation at work (law firm) and if so, do you think it's okay to quit the job?

I am a 6th year attorney in a large law firm and I just had my annual performance review. I was told by 3 partners that my billable hours (lawyers are suppose to bill at least 1800 hours a year) are way below what it should be for an attorney of my level (6th year) and they put me on probation. I am not sure for how long and what happens if I don't meet their billable goal thereafter, I'm guessing that I would be terminated. My question is, has anyone been in a similar situation and is quitting your job a good idea during this time. I have never been put on probation, have worked at this same firm for the past 6 years, I know the legal job market is tough right now. I would be losing all my vacation days to fulfill their minimum billable requirement and overall, I am just ashamed/embarassed that I am deficient as an attorney in my billing requirements. I feel deflated and most of all, ashamed that I am not good enough.

Public Comments

1. I think they should have been a bit more specific when they put you on probation, in that they should have outlined for how long you're on probation (so given you a timeframe in which to lift your game) and they should definitely have outlined what the consequences will be if you don't meet their target. If you're not happy where you are and if you feel that the billable hours they're expecting are too much, I think you should start looking around for another job. I don't know if I'd quit before I've managed to find something else, although that depends on your circumstances and whether you've got enough saved away to float you for a while if you were unemployed between jobs.
2. Being a quiter is too easy you have continue to work to get anything done. Just hang in there and do what you have to do or you'll be jobless and maybe even struggling to get by like half the rest of the country. Good luck.
3. only the 1st month of work...thats called the probation period
4. I have never been put on probation at a law firm - well, other than when you first start working, one is always put on probation for a certain time period. There are a few questions I have: 1) What hours do you work? 2) What are your billable hours? I realize they are less than the 1800 that is required, but how much less? 3) What is the reason why your billable hours are not high? 1800 hours is 150 hours per month, which is about 7 hours per day (calculating a 22 day work month), which basically means that if you are there for 8 hours per day, and take a 1 hour lunch, you need to bill for the remaining time that you are there. 4) Are you not getting enough work from the partners? If so, ask for more work. 5) Are you spending a lot of time marketing? 6) What is your realization rate? That is, how many hours do you bill versus how much is written off (because the partner thinks you spent too much time on the assignment, etc.)? There has to be an underlying reason of why you're not meeting the billable hour requirements. My guess is that you are not getting the work from the partners in order to meet your yearly billable hour requirement. See if you can get work from other partners (not just those in your group) so that you can get back on track. I would not leave the firm. The market is tough and at this point, you cannot make a lateral transfer unless you have a book of business that you can take with you to the new firm. Associates are "more marketable" between their second and fourth years of practice. How many vacation days do you get? And is there some reason why you can't just work longer hours and still take your vacation? Don't you get a monthly report of your hours so you can track them?