New York Lawyer
February 26, 2004

Q:
The senior partner I work with the most is too picky. He drives me nuts. He gets into details that he shouldn't get into. It's a waste of time and energy. He works all the time so I guess he figures he has the time for it, but it's ridiculous. The other day he looked at a document of mine and was questioning whether there was the right number of spaces after a period. I'm not saying he doesn't sometimes have a point but it seems so absurd for a guy charging the amount he charges per hour to be poring over the tiniest details. What do you think?

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A:

It's true that from an efficiency standpoint each person in a firm should be doing what he or she hey can to add the most value possible. In other words, lawyers shouldn't routinely be doing document copying, and senior partners shouldn't get involved in fine details.

It's possible that the reason the partner is knee-deep in the minutiae is because he doesn't trust your work. Ask yourself whether you've goofed up enough here and there that his concern is justified. Small details may not seem important, but they can reflect on your firm's reputation. If you are not meticulous enough, you will need to improve your own performance.

If you're not sure whether this is the problem, ask something like, "I've noticed that you are very careful in checking my documents. I know you want to be certain that we're doing a superior job, but I'm concerned that you feel that maybe I'm not doing a thorough enough job on my end. Are there ways I could improve so that you feel more confidence in what I produce?"

If you're certain that you're doing your part, and you know from talking to others that he's well-known for sweating the small stuff, the options are different. My guess is that you feel sort of belittled, as if he doesn't trust you, when he does his close reading. Of course he can just be very concerned about making mistakes and feel that, even with the finest of associates, he has to be the one accountable and therefore has to get his hands dirty. Certainly if it bothers you enough you can try to work more with other people. Another approach is to say, "I know you're very concerned about the details, but it winds up taking up a lot of your time. Is there anything I can do so that you don't have to spend as much time on this?" Appeal to his interests in best serving the firm and client with the most efficient use of everyone's time. If it's clear that you're on his side, and that you want to contribute to a first-rate product, you may be able to help him reconsider his approach.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work