New York Lawyer
September 18, 2003

Q:
I am a fourth-year associate at a firm in southern California. Many of the partners at the firm are very active in political circles. Since I have been working here, I've been approached from time to time about attending certain political fundraisers and other political events. These events are always in support of Democratic candidates or causes. I have always declined these invites (I routinely attend other non-political events), citing a lack of interest in politics or giving some other excuse.

Several months ago, one of the partners I'm closest to asked me why I never attended the political functions I was invited to. He pointedly told me that the partners consider these events to be very important. Tired of making lame excuses, I finally gave in and told him that I was a Republican, and did not feel comfortable supporting candidates or ideas I didn't believe in. It would appear making this admission was a grave mistake. Since then, I can barely get the time of day from partners I used to have a good relationship with, and my work load has all but dried up. Even some of the more senior associates seem to be giving me the cold shoulder. I definitely get the sense they're trying to send me the message I'm no longer wanted here.

How should I handle my predicament? I feel like they're trying to force me out here, and I wonder what kind of recommendations I'm going to get if I leave. Should I look to get out of here, or attempt to fix things where I'm at? Up until my political "coming out,� I'd been led to believe I was doing good work. Should I have just played the good Democrat and gone to all those political events, while keeping my true politics to myself?

Political Black Sheep

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A:

This is a classic example of a culture block. Every organization, including law firms, has a distinctive stamp, like the personality of an individual, composed of its beliefs, rituals, values, and so forth � the way they do things, put informally. People lose favor for cultural and �political� reasons all the time (put in quotation marks because in your case it�s literally about politics). They don�t wear the right clothes, don�t play golf or tennis, or they have a quirky personality. Your firm has evolved into a solid �Democrat� firm (perhaps with government clients) that takes those beliefs seriously. They probably see these affairs not only as an affirmation of deeply held values but also as vital rain-making and relationship-building activities � affirming the value of the almighty dollar.

I�m a little puzzled that you�ve been there four years and this predicament has only now reached this point. In other words, if you�ve done good work for people, presumably you have demonstrated your performance ability. Before charging ahead on the belief that you are being shunned due to your GOP status, you need to do a reality check that the spigot hasn�t been turned off for other reasons, namely performance problems. If there are, the firm has a duty to inform you what they are to help you develop appropriately.

I�d suggest you ask around a little bit about this problem, but of course people will automatically deny a factor like this has any effect on one�s career or assignments. (By the way, I checked around informally with some employment lawyers and most seemed to think that unless your state specifically allows for such an action, this is not generally an actionable claim. But never mind that � who wants to bring a lawsuit anyway?) You could try to go to someone you trust with some facts and figures � the cases you formerly had, the hours you once racked up, and the present reality � to demonstrate that something has radically changed the perception of you in the firm. The more you stick to facts in making your case, the more persuasive you�ll be, rather than making sweeping statements like, �I�m getting isolated because of my politics.� Another approach is to see if there�s some other way in the firm that you can make your mark, like on a committee or doing hiring work or bringing in business, to prove your worth and smooth over the political differences.

But if the reality is that people are willing to stiff you because of your political beliefs, you might want to ditch the firm anyway. Obviously I don�t think you should have pretended to be a good Democrat. It�s pretty hard to keep up that kind of appearance. And you�d be making a commitment to this pretense for � well, forever, until you left the firm. That�s pretty tough to maintain. There are acceptable degrees of fashioning one�s image in favor of one�s job that can be philosophically acceptable, such as dressing more conservatively or reining in your temper. These make sense, but political beliefs are reflective of core values.

In looking for another place, be careful of the culture stuff. Most firms have established personalities that you can find out about if you ask around. It�s wise to pay attention to this. People think they can �just do their work and let the chips fall where they may,� but that�s rarely the case. Usually there�s political positioning and jockeying that is crucial to long-term success. So look for a more compatible place, either where politics don�t matter all that much or where the radios are all tuned to Rush Limbaugh.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work