I’m currently employed as a paralegal in a small family law firm (2 attorneys). I’ve been there 6 months, and it’s the most toxic work environment I’ve ever experienced. The owner loses her shit over everything, even when it’s a non issue, or the issue is actually her.
Today she publicly berated the legal assistant for “not calendaring a hearing.” Turns out the attorney confused two different clients. The one she was referring to didn’t have a hearing scheduled, which is why there was no hearing on the calendar. Then, because she was worked up, she came into my office to complain that I hadn’t edited a modification pleading that she sent me less than 24 hours ago, while I was in the midst of prepping trial binders and editing a trial memo for the other attorney, whose trial was the next morning. The modification pleading was “urgent” because the client has been waiting a while for it. I’ve sent repeated reminders to the attorney about drafting this pleading with no response. I drafted a contempt pleading for a different client that was urgent over 3 weeks ago and she hasn’t even looked at it despite my repeated reminders. Apparently it’s my fault that she’s behind on things, but she doesn’t respond to my emails or the legal assistant’s reminders. She often claims that she told us to do something but there is no record of her ever doing so, or she contradicts her actual instructions from earlier.
She never takes accountability for her inappropriate behavior toward employees, never takes accountability for own mistakes, and then accuses me and the legal assistant for being defensive when we try to explain the situation. Meanwhile her emails and interactions are super passive aggressive - don’t I know that she pays me more than others would? (It’s a pretty average salary). The irony is that she counsels her clients about escaping abusive relationships, while at the same time creating an abusive work environment for employees.
I’ve been wanting to quit for the past three months, pretty much when I realized it was never going to get better. However, not even making a full year, I don’t know how that will look. How do you even explain that on a resume or cover letter? In an interview, how do you explain your reason for quitting in less than a year without saying that your boss is toxic? No interviewer wants to hear you complain about your previous boss. I feel stuck, pretty close to a nervous breakdown. But I don’t know how to get out.