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Hiring a legal assistant - break question

thedashthedash member
in Working Moms
I am a partner in a 2 person law firm. We are hiring a new assistant to work 10-4 each day. My state does not have a law requiring breaks unless employees are under 16. What do you think I should tell her about lunch breaks? Should we offer a 30 minute paid break each day? 30 minutes unpaid required each day? 30 minutes unpaid but give her the option to work through lunch if she wants to? Let her decide day by day or make her pick one or the other and stick to that?
DS: 2/17/11          DD: 9/4/13
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Re: Hiring a legal assistant - break question

  • CarrieB.CarrieB. member
    When my DH works 6 hour shifts at his job, he gets one 15 minute paid break.
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  • thedashthedash member
    K3am said:

    I would love a paid lunch break! Is this something that's industry specific? 

    I do think it's more common in the legal field. Unfortunately the flip side is that assistants often end up working through their lunch, which I really don't want her to do. I also like to offer small things like paid breaks since we are too small to have many other employee benefits right now.
    DS: 2/17/11          DD: 9/4/13
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  • thedashthedash member
    wife07mom09 said:

    But it's 6 hours. When I was a legal asst I was full time salaried and it was just my billable hours that mattered rather than the hours actually worked. 30 minutes does sound reasonable though depending on how it's structured. Most other industries take unpaid lunch breaks. I think law is different. I was only there a few years before I went back to grad school. (liked it and quit on the heels of a promotion, was fun working at a Big Law firm)

    We are super small law and almost exclusively work flat fee - so no billables for attorneys or assistants here. And it makes more sense for us to pay her hourly.
    DS: 2/17/11          DD: 9/4/13
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  • sugarbear0524sugarbear0524 member
    You'll have a much happier, more content legal assistant if you let her eat on the clock.
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