New York Lawyer
September 15, 2005

Q:
I have done well in my practice but there is a partner who is out to get me. He is deliberately standing in my way. I feel like it will be very hard for me to make partner with him around because he seems to want me to fail. He talks about me behind my back, he denigrates me whenever possible, etc. Any hope for dealing with this so that he doesn�t ruin my career in this firm, which I like very much otherwise?

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A:

It�s hard to evaluate your problem with such limited information. However, it appears that if you want to stay, and hope to make partner, you�ll have to do something.

Depending on the personality, styles, balance of power, etc., involved, you can consider from the following array of options:

Take him on directly. Sometimes a bully or backstabber needs to be dealt with face to face, fearlessly, letting him know that you�re perfectly aware of what he�s doing, and indicating your reaction. This is hard to do, especially with someone more senior than you, but worth considering.

Advertise yourself to others. Talk with the people whom you believe he�s trying to influence about you and give them some information to counter his points. And you don�t have to refer to him at all. You can simply refer to facts and figures that display your accomplishments and abilities (e.g., amount of business you bring in, your relative success, etc.), so that there is other data out there about you aside from his poisonous ideas. This is a vitally important part of the campaign to outsmart him; the more people know about you that is positive, the less likely his campaign is to triumph.

Don�t obsess about the guy. Sometimes these situations take on a life of their own and the people involved get so fixated on their "enemies" that they forget about the positives. Concentrate on the people who are your champions, work closely with them, and don�t give the guy more power than he deserves by investing him with all your psychic energy.

Spread the word discreetly. With people you can trust, point out the issue so that you can get their perspective and possible tips for dealing with him. Sometimes these issues can bubble beneath the surface with people gradually getting the idea that they have a bad apple in their midst. If the information bubbles up high enough someone in power might actually be able to do something about it.

Worst case scenario -- you�re outta there. Remember -- if you�re doing well, the last resort always can be leaving (with your clients). Sounds like you don�t want to do that, but you would not be the first person driven from a firm due to insider politics.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work