New York Lawyer
May 10, 2001

Q:
We have a male partner in our firm who seems to prefer to work with and supervise female associates. There�s nothing improper going on, but whenever he works with male associates it doesn�t seem to work out, they have a blowup and the male associates avoid working with him or the partner doesn�t seek them out. Meanwhile he gets along fine with his group of female associates.

I think he�s sort of threatened by the male associates and would prefer to stick with the women. Maybe this is okay but it seems funny to me.

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A:
And to think that in the old days many male lawyers objected to the mere presence of women in law firms!

People in law firms often have wide latitude to assemble the team they want -- or the people they can get. Who works with whom tends to be a complex mix of perceived abilities and personalities. And assignments are done in an informal way, not distributed to the next available person in some rote fashion.

It�s probably always a warning sign when work assignments and patterns break down along gender lines, especially if male associates have tried working with the male partner and it hasn�t worked out. Certainly it�s an issue if a partner appears to work exclusively with males only and can�t get along with females.

The man�s partners should point out to him that this creates a perception that isn�t healthy, even if the quality of work and all other indicators are good. It creates an appearance of impropriety and deprives the male associates of working with an able partner in a certain practice area.

Also, you can�t really be certain that �there�s nothing improper going on.� There could be low-level sexual harassment -- such as repeated comments on clothing and appearance -- which could escalate into a major risk if the firm�s partners don�t keep an eye on things. It�s time to take the �no men allowed� sign off the door.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work