New York Lawyer
June 1, 2006

Q:
We have a male lawyer who is very affable and pleasant to his peers, very easy to work with, but treats the staff poorly. He�s clever enough to do it when people generally aren�t around, but several of the staff have mentioned to some of us that his behavior is unprofessional and borderline rude.

What do you think of this? Anything we can do?

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A:

This is a recurring theme in law firms, which tend to be highly stratified and hierarchical in nature. When people keenly feel that every person has his or her "place," and act accordingly, you get behavior like what you�re describing.

Ideally a firm will have a code of conduct, a value statement or some other way to set expectations that will discourage such conduct. If expectations are not set throughout a firm so that people understand how they are supposed to act, it often is unclear what the requirements are. Of course we often think that somebody who�s simply half-human ought to be able to figure this stuff out for themselves without being told. Sadly, not always so.

So -- the first step, if it is not in place already, is a mechanism whereby it is widely understood what the firm expects in terms of behavior, the way staff should be treated, etc. This can be done through training sessions when attorneys are first brought to the firm, and updated sessions if necessary.

Even if such training is conducted, and the expectations have been established, this behavior can occur. You don�t mention whether you or the other people who have heard these complaints are more senior or more powerful than this lawyer. Usually that will help determine who is best suited to have a talk with the offender. He may not realize the effect that he has, therefore some feedback from others can be most enlightening to help him understand the consequences of his behavior.

You also can advise staff about ways to productively deal with such behavior. Although the range of their reactions will be limited due to the imbalance in power, they can use some low-key humor to perhaps help him realize when he comes on too strong. Additionally, if you or others ever observe any such behavior on his part, you should try to intercede so that the staff isn�t left on its own.

If his actions are truly offensive you should ensure that someone in HR or in a responsible management position is aware, as he could become a liability to the firm, not to mention simply being unpleasant to have around from a staff standpoint. Oftentimes the receptivity to points like these will vary depending on the firm culture. Where a firm values civility, the management will take steps to alleviate the problem; if they don�t really care, or if they have more of a cowboy atmosphere, they won�t.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work