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Several years ago, I worked for a patent attorney in New Jersey. I had gotten the job originally because I had previously worked with a girl who was engaged to him, at an accountant's office; and thought this would be a great opportunity for me. Needless to say, it did not work out as I had expected.

The job itself was very stressful. I have come to learn that when working for any lawyer, the secretaries are the ones that do all of the work; and they make all the money.

There were several other lawyers in the office too, but my duties primarily involved helping to write the patent applications, putting all of the paperwork together, creating new files, and filing the patents when they came in from the Patent and Trademark office. When dealing with Patent applications, every word was important, ever application had to be proofread several times, by two secretaries at one time. Being able to take dictation quickly and accurately was a must.

This particular lawyer, I soon discovered, was very overbearing. He liked to embarrass his secretaries in front of others in the office when a simple mistake was made by screaming and yelling, swearing, and generally being abusive. I needed the money, so I dealt with it in the beginning. The work load was very high, the deadlines were plenty. I often found myself worrying about my work when I was not there.

One day, when taking dictation from my boss for a patent application during one of our meetings, I had to ask him to repeat himself several times before I could accurately write down what he was saying. This upset him greatly, and he started cursing and yelling at me, at the top of his lungs in front of everyone else who was present. His insults included calling me stupid, amongst other things. I could not take it anymore. I gathered my things, and walked out of the office, as he was screaming at me. I mustered the strength to scream back a few choice words on my way out, and left; never to return. This was the first time I had ever done something like this.

I immediately filed for unemployment benefits. Unfortunately, I was denied, because the Department of Labor felt that I quit unjustly. I then appealed the case. When the day came for the hearing, I asked my mother to go along with me, both as moral support and to aid me, for I knew how this man was. He was the type of person to not let anyone get a word in edgewise. As I was describing to the investigator the kinds of abuse I had been subject to while I was employed by this man, my mother made a few comments in order to add to the discussion. He replied, "You just better shut up". Needless to say, the investigator became a first hand witness of how this man treated other people, and I ultimately won my appeal for unemployment benefits.

The most important advice I could give anyone in this situation is to not be afraid to stand up for yourself. No one should be allowed to verbally, mentally or physically abuse you, whether it is a spouse, or an employer. Most importantly, do not stay in a situation like this just because you need the money. There are plenty of other jobs out there.

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