New York Lawyer
April 3, 2003

Q:
I am a third-year associate at a large firm. The partners I have worked for generally love me. They say things like, "You are the best associate I have ever worked with." Other associates, who likely have not have heard this, are less taken with me. On several occasions, associates I am working with have criticized my work, typically for very small (what I consider pedantic details), none of which have been substantive. Sometimes they are right, sometimes wrong. Frankly I am not detail-oriented and it is not uncommon for me to misplace a comma or mislabel something. However, on the substantive work I am usually (in my mind at least) right on. In either event, it's always been something that can be corrected. What's worse, they copy the partner I am working with. None of this has affected what the partners say about me, to my knowledge, but it still can't possibly be good.

To date, I have suggested to such persons that it is in their best interests to tell me if they have a problem first, let me correct it, and move on. What the hell is wrong with these people? Don't they know that if I ever catch them screwing up I will find a way to let the whole firm know? How do you handle such jackasses? Should I even worry about them?

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A:

Yes, you should worry. I think you're deluding yourself. Your version of this story is: you're a smart guy, the partners love you, and these "pedantic jackasses" are just jealous of your success so they stab you in the back. Another, more convincing version: you are a smart guy who doesn't bother with details; other people have to do the unpleasant chore of making up for your laziness; the partners, unaware of the problems you cause and the help you get from others, heap praise on you and ignore your detail-minded friends; thus your co-workers get resentful and tell on you. I think the latter version is more likely.

You need to take a good look in the mirror and seriously evaluate your performance. If your problems haven't hurt you yet, I think they will farther down the road.

Your colleagues undoubtedly get tired of having to vet your work thoroughly, knowing that you have a tendency to "misplace a comma or mislabel something." (By the way, in deference to my readers, I corrected all the spelling and grammar mistakes in your original question. So I think I know what they're complaining about.) In any event, lawyers are expected to be detail oriented and picky. While there's certainly a major place for substantive thinking, the "little details" (like whether the controlling case you've cited has been reversed on appeal) can trip you up and make everyone - the firm, the client, you personally, the supervising lawyer - look like incompetent or even malpractice-ridden idiots. Also, you wind up costing the client time and money, because others have to spend time doing what you should have done in the first place. It's inefficient and unfair to "leave the details to others."

So here's what I would suggest. Rather than lying in wait for your peers to make mistakes that you can then rat on them about, take steps that will strengthen your performance and make you a better lawyer. You have a responsibility as a professional to attend to the fine points, and you should do the hard work it requires to revamp your drafting habits so that you are more conscientious. In addition to smartening up your comma-placing and labeling skills, you can try mending some fences. Admit frankly to your colleagues that you're trying to be more attentive to details and that you appreciate the help they've given in the past. It may be that they feel you get lots of credit from the partners who "love you" while they toil in obscurity. If you can be more of a team player, acting in the interests of all concerned rather than just on your own behalf, some of this resentment might melt away. You can tell the partners about the great help you had on a project, so that your peers can share some of the limelight that they quite correctly believe they deserve.

Right now you are walking on a high wire, and the tumble you are bound to take will be very painful. Get realistic about how to improve your work so that you can remain a high flier.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work