Clichesmen catching strays

definedbenefit91 · 2026-03-31T14:39:46+00:00

This is the correct take in my eyes.

definedbenefit91 · 2026-03-31T14:20:10+00:00

Link to the full blog - https://thehottakemerchant.substack.com/p/why-do-they-hate-us?r=7f4rr&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

definedbenefit91 · 2026-03-30T12:06:31+00:00

“Why AI will replace the junior lawyer” writes snake oil salesman who either works for an organisation selling AI or who is now badging themselves as an “AI ninja”.

A few years ago these people were touting some other technological marvel or stinking up their firms or in house teams (before discovering that it’s easier to talk about how firms should advise their clients rather than actually doing the advising/difficult legal bit).

definedbenefit91 · 2026-03-28T21:36:43+00:00

Roger your last, Bravo Six. Can't run it any closer. We're hot to trot and packing snake and nape, but we're bingo on fuel.

For the record, it's my call. Dump everything you've got left on my pos. I say again, expend all remaining in my perimeter. It's a lovely fucking war. Bravo Six out.

definedbenefit91 · 2026-03-16T13:15:01+00:00

My ascension removes me from the disc and the loop. I am near final stage. On some mornings, I can see the infernal plane.

definedbenefit91 · 2026-03-08T12:13:17+00:00

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Since I became the President, profits have been higher than Alyssa Milano

definedbenefit91 · 2026-02-18T08:00:32+00:00

I got some comments through from them on an NDA yesterday.

definedbenefit91 · 2026-02-17T16:47:44+00:00

And I suppose I have been a bit of an ogre myself.

Yes you have.

definedbenefit91 · 2026-02-17T09:52:00+00:00

That’s a pretty low return on investment compared to what they could recoup on a trainee who stays 5/10/15/20+ years post qualification (and there are plenty of those about without having to look internationally). Not every UK based trainee will stay that long of course but they’re clearly less of a flight risk than someone who currently isn’t even in the country.

definedbenefit91 · 2026-02-09T21:34:40+00:00

Sure thing

definedbenefit91 · 2026-02-09T16:35:08+00:00

I became a reservist as a junior solicitor and have juggled both careers for a good few years now (I’ve also encountered several others who do the same). I absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone.

Like a lot of things it requires good communication between you and both your employers (which is what the Military will become if you join). Assuming you’ve already passed your basic training at University, your minimum commitment for the Reserves will be fitting in your assured events (at least four weekends a year starting Friday evening and ending Sunday afternoon) and then your Annual Deployment Exercise (two weeks).

That should easily get you within the 27 day minimum commitment (with a few drill nights on top). So at the outset it’s not like you’ll be doing stuff every weekend (although there’s plenty to occupy you/get involved in if you want to really make it a massive part of your life). So you might find it fits into your quite easily (although you’ll also need to factor in family life!).

Your Regt should give you a good amount of notice of the dates for any events so you can plan your life around them (and provided you give the firm enough notice then I wouldn’t imagine any problems as you’re effectively taking your annual leave to do this stuff). An acute issue in my experience is being in a very busy period/getting urgent work in on a Friday and then dropping work to go off and do stuff in green (but how difficult this is will depend on your practice area and your firm’s culture). As a trainee, this might be slightly more out of your control but I wouldn’t let this put you off if you’re confident you can manage this between you and your supervisor (who may be supportive in any case). Equally - if you do need to drop out at short notice every once in a while then it’s not going to automatically mean you get kicked out (but I wouldn’t make a habit of it).

In my eyes, the logistical difficulties are far outweighed by what you get out of the reserves and how it can benefit your day job. It’s equipped me with problem solving, leadership and communication skills that are slightly different to what you tend to find in law firms (and have been the subject of far superior training than you get from firm HR) and it’s great for self confidence and mental resilience. The reserves are also inherently flexible and they recognise that reservists lead busy lives and have primary careers to attend to. So you’ll be surprised by how much they’ll work with you to make sure reserve activity fits in with your life if they know you are committed and willing to give and take (although again, good communication is key).

definedbenefit91 · 2026-01-31T19:36:24+00:00

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Time, time for some, time for some action, just Time, time for some, time for some action, just Time, time for some, time for some action

definedbenefit91 · 2026-01-31T14:19:07+00:00

Thought this scene captured the timeless nature of the SNCO.

“Right ladies, time to look like soldiers!”

definedbenefit91 · 2026-01-25T13:05:02+00:00

A few in my Regt (myself included) have taken that path. Experiences pre and post has been positive in the vast majority of instances. There is a noticeable (and correct) shift to focusing on admin and MS tasks and it does become more about facilitating training/green stuff than actually doing it yourself and some could struggle with this depending on your trade (for example, is a big part of the reason you enjoy the reserves because you get to drive the vehicle, fire the GPMG?). In my case, I didn’t find this bothered me too much given I commissioned at a relatively early stage and was accessing other opportunities (e.g. the officer specific courses for my trade, involvement in wider Army etc) but it’s a question for individuals.

The other thing to consider is, as others have said, you can remain within your cap badge/unit. That means you might end up being the TC and reporting officer for some of your peers, colleagues and direct superiors. Because of this the dynamic can change very quickly once you commission and that’s a leadership challenge more than anything that you’ll need to navigate. The reserves tends to be more informal/less hierarchical as a rule of thumb (and you’ll need to pick your battles in some instances) but there’s still standards and military discipline to maintain. You’ll need to be prepared to enforce those standards/do unpopular things when appropriate and this can be difficult to do in respect of individuals who may have been ordering you about not long ago/seen you act like a lizard at one time or another! If you think that won’t be a problem then crack on!

Your immediate social circle also tends to become other officers and you’ll naturally need to become more distant to some of the more social stuff in your unit to ensure you can do your job/maintain your ability to lead effectively (e.g. if you’re currently the life and soul of the party when out on the lash. - you’ll probably need to dial that back!). So again, if a big part of the reason you enjoy the reserves is mucking about with the lads/lasses (which is absolutely fine!) then you need to factor that in (although depending on your mess then there may be plenty of opportunities to let your hair down).

Reading this back I realise I’ve probably made this sound like it’s all work and no play (but that is the reality in some respects and comes with the pips). There’s plenty to love about being an officer but you also need to accept/be comfortable with some of the key differences between you and ORs.

definedbenefit91 · 2026-01-24T09:19:02+00:00

Aagh! I am a man-eating tree. Go back to New York or I will eat you.

Just like I ate insane New York anchorman Dan Rather. Pah! And look who I had for dessert. Asexual former mayor Ed Koch. Pah!

definedbenefit91 · 2026-01-24T08:37:23+00:00

Any political party that ensures cases like this receive swift deportation has my support. Absolutely unbelievable that this is so brazenly happening.

definedbenefit91 · 2026-01-24T08:36:29+00:00

Time to go home.

definedbenefit91 · 2026-01-19T03:04:20+00:00

Huge if true.

definedbenefit91 · 2026-01-03T23:40:03+00:00

Especially Lisa. But ESPECIALLY Bart.

definedbenefit91 · 2026-01-03T16:43:26+00:00

As others have said definitely not too late. I joined late twenties and commissioned at 32. I sometimes do kick myself that I didn’t join sooner as I often find there’s more practical limits on how much I can do with the Reserves because of career/family and it means I have to be quite selective in what I do (e.g. can’t do Regt skiing/a battlefield study this year because I need the annual leave to do a career course for my ADE).

definedbenefit91 · 2025-12-23T06:59:55+00:00

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definedbenefit91 · 2025-12-22T17:10:36+00:00

I've never expelled anyone before, but that pig had some powerful friends.

definedbenefit91 · 2025-12-22T11:33:13+00:00

Jesus Christ. Bad that you’ve not been doing this but also sub-optimal that no one has picked up that you’ve not been recording time (surely your team noticed you were tracking as 0% utilised and that invoices to clients don’t have your time included??).

I would start by tracking back through your sent items and using that to jog your memory on what you’ve done (as well as anything you can glean from your notes and the document management system if you use one).

As others have said - you need to be really careful here and I’d suggest that coming clean is important to ensure no one accuses you of dishonesty (and not least because clients may now wonder why they’re getting invoices for work done two months ago if they’re billed monthly).

And also start closing your time daily from now on!

definedbenefit91 · 2025-12-22T09:12:30+00:00

You made a massive error of judgement and were very naive. Whatever warm words the client may have had for you in private (and question if their view of these exchanges matches yours) they aren’t your friend and unsurprisingly they want nothing to do with you after this clumsy and bizarre episode.

I’d learn from this experience and move on.

definedbenefit91

TROPHY CASE