Anyway, I couldn’t agree more with your general sentiments, Jordan, but I think that they largely boil down to “those flexible enough to work with different types of people will find broad-based success; those who aren’t will have to struggle harder to find success that rests on shakier ground.”

That will always be the case; assholes can always go far enough because hate and fear are great motivators, and no one ever gets punished politically for bullying those who come after them. But let that fever pitch slip a notch, let one of those young lawyers you bullied slip past you, and you will find yourself needing to toe her line, and not she yours.

Your specific recommendations for the younger crowd on how to get on with the over-45s are solid. One thing to note, though, is that when you get those folks alone, they all wish they had had the will to stand up more for their broader selves and broader lives in a way that younger lawyers are often doing now. I’ve never had that conversation with someone who didn’t.