Extremely Disorganized with No Structure
I worked as a professional staff member at Bass, Berry & Sims, and my experience was deeply disappointing. The training process is virtually nonexistent — you're essentially thrown into the role with no clear guidance or support. The lack of structure is overwhelming, and you’re left to figure things out on your own, which makes the entire experience stressful and frustrating.
On top of that, the company is severely top-heavy. There are far too many people in the professional development, marketing, and business development teams, and it feels like a bloated organization where nothing really gets done. Meanwhile, managers tend to just delegate their own work to those under them rather than actually helping their teams succeed and training their team.
While most of the attorneys are pleasant to work with, the practice group directors actively discourage communication and relationship-building across teams. They make it harder for employees to collaborate and get anything done. It's an incredibly siloed environment, and you're left feeling like your contributions don’t matter.
What’s even more frustrating is the lack of career growth or advancement. There is no real pathway for promotion, and raises are a joke — essentially non-existent or insulting. This with higher up positions most likely got that position because they knew someone personally - so no one is actually qualified.
I would highly advise anyone considering working here on the professional staff team to look elsewhere. There are much better, more supportive and growth-oriented workplaces out there.