New York Lawyer
August 9, 2001

Q:
I started at my present firm about six months ago as a lateral associate. What bugged me is that the firm took so little trouble to make me feel comfortable. After I�d been here three weeks, I passed a partner in the hall who, some months before, I had opposed in a case. He said, �What case are you here on?� He had no idea I�d been hired!

Nobody took me around to introduce me; I just sat at my desk for a few weeks until they finally got the idea that there was somebody there who is able and willing to work. The only person who paid any attention was the human resources person. Sorry to sound like a snob, but I think I deserved to be dealt with by a partner, not an administrator. I�ve talked to some other laterals and they said the same thing happened to them. Isn�t there a better way?

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A:
Well, yes, of course there is. That said, people are busy. I�d bet your firm is not a small one, and because laterals come and go at unpredictable times during the year there�s often less than a concerted effort to orient them. (And give the poor HR person a break. At least he or she was paying some attention instead of letting you languish in your swivel chair.)

The problem, of course, is that people can feel so alienated that they can go right back out the door, where they bad-mouth the firm in the marketplace. Even if they don�t leave, the firm can lose out on valuable help during the initial months of the lateral�s employment. Many laterals will complain of a persistent feeling of �otherness� and not belonging, in large part because no one ever took the opportunity to bring them into the fold in a pro-active way.

While there is often an orientation program for lawyers who join a firm directly from law school, rarely do firms have a method for integrating laterals. Moreover, the unspoken assumption often is, �This person is an experienced lawyer. We don�t need to hold his hand.� Even though at many firms laterals outnumber associates hired directly from law school, they continue to be viewed as suspect or second-class, because of a lingering belief that lawyers not trained from day one at a given firm can�t be as good as those who are. In fact, firms can benefit from a judicious balance of long-term employees and fresh talent.

Ideally a firm should have a checklist for orienting laterals, just as they do for new lawyers, including instruction on office technology, formal introductions around the office, a welcome lunch or wine-and-cheese party after work and meetings with lawyers they might work with. It�s important to take the time at the beginning to take these steps so that the incoming lawyer�s expertise can be utilized as quickly as possible.

One last point is that laterals would be well-advised to be realistic about going to a new firm. Most firms won�t have a comprehensive orientation, and laterals often will have to make their own way. Look around you, absorb the culture, see how people do things, and introduce yourself around. It�s far from ideal, but it�s better than hibernating in your office waiting to be discovered.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work