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How do young women professionals manage their secretaries...
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Anonymous
It's not, really. "Secretary" conjures an image of a Mad Men style gal, who needs to be able to type and look decorative. She has a six-month secretarial course under her belt, at most, and no other education. She will probably only work for a couple of years, before snagging a junior executive and settling down to raise babies. When the profile of a typical secretary changed, the name had to change to, to dump all the old connotations. Like stewardess. The legal profession has held on to the term, and those in the field have a different set of expectations. I can see why non-legal types would bristle at "secretary", though. It came with a whole lot of negative stereotypes. |
Anonymous
And whatever will we do when someone decides that "administrative assistant" has negative connotations? After all, assistant implies subordination, and we can't have that. How about "Internal Coprofessional"?  "Client, please contact my internal coprofessional if you need additional details about our meeting. Thx."
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Anonymous
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I had several secretaries, of varying work ethics, while at BigLaw, and I recognize your problem. In my experience, however, it had absolutely nothing to do with gender. The secretary works for the partner, you are just a nuisance until the partner gets rid of you. A good secretary will, of course, also help you if she has time. But, as long as a bad secretary is well-liked by the partner, she usually doesn't have to do anything for you. At one point, I shared a secretary with a partner, and the partner had a heart attack and went on leave for several months. I saw the secretary probably twice during that time. Luckily, I was able to change secretaries about a year later to someone who was much more helpful. However, fast forward ten years, and I have been gone for three (by my own choosing - I didn't find firm life very family-friendly), and she is still there.
On the other hand, if you really need something, you should ask in writing. But, I would be very hesitant in calling her out to your boss, as secretaries often have much more loyalty from the boss than do associates, and it could hasten your exit when the time comes. Of course, all of this assumes that you have a lazy secretary that doesn't want to do your work. If that is not the case, and you just need a bit more attention from an otherwise-good secretary, then you should take an interest in her and actually try to become friends with her. Don't be patronizing, just be friendly. And, be very understanding of the rest of her workload - partners and even senior associates have a ton of work for secretaries (it is not just copies and lunch orders) and that work does, and should, take precedence over the things that you can otherwise do yourself. This worked wonders with all of the good secretaries that I had after the first MIA one. |
Anonymous
No doubt that will happen. But it happens everywhere, all the time. Think of all the terms that various races used to call themselves, that have since become unacceptable. It wasn't that long ago that Gypsy was a perfectly acceptable term. Now we all have to say Roma, because of the negative connotations that piled up around the originally-unobjectionable word. "Negro" didn't start out derogatory, just descriptive. Can you imagine the flap if someone tried to use it now? And it will all change again, and again, and again. Just try not to be the last one using the old term, or the first one using the new term, and roll with it. |
Anonymous
The title of your post, "How do young women professionals manage their secretaries..." screams volumes about you. You have the problem and until you come down off your high horse, you will always have this problem. I am willing to bet that you also have difficulty with other associates. |
Anonymous
I disagree with that. The secretary/assistant works for the lawyer; this is therefore a management issue. Managing people is a difficult art, especially when the manager is younger and less experienced than the person being managed (this also comes up a lot with paralegals; I'm sure young officers in the military have the same issue with very experienced NCOs). It is a delicate process that requires both that the manager establish their authority, but at the same time ensure that the subordinate feels like part of the team and that they are being well treated. Not something they teach you at law school. I think many women, especially, are ambivalent about authority, don't establish it from the start, and then overcompensate in negative ways once things are off on the wrong foot. And many junior associates of either gender don't understand that there is a pecking order at law firms and that your work is sometimes going to get bumped, that politics counts, and that a long-time secretary probably is far more valuable to the partners she works for than any given newbie associate and should be handled with care and treated with respect. There is no contradiction between exercising authority over a subordinate while still treating them fairly and well. |
Anonymous
| In my firm, I specifically hire part time assistants. I make the hours fit within school hours and I get 4 zillion resumes from SAHMs who want to work and be appreciated for their invaluable contributions to our firm, but not have the stress of a full-on commute, what to do about a sick kid, no politics, and something that can be left at the door on the way out. I have gotten the absolutel best assistants this way. Our pay is bad, but we are super flexible -- as in, "leave me a note if you remember about when your vacation is," etc. If you are working with existing personnel our approach doesn't work, but if you are hiring, give it a try. I picked up the tip at a CLE and it is one of the best things I have ever implemented. |
Anonymous
That is a fabulous idea I am going to steal. |
Anonymous
LOL, I have a good working relationship with my secretary and she absolutely does not ignore me. She also calls herself a secretary and I personally don't have any derogatory connotations with that word but it sounds like others do. I don't get it; it's a noble profession as far as I'm concerned. Call me whatever you want, just don't call me late for dinner. |
Anonymous
Best idea on the boards this week! |
Anonymous
You don't need full time help? Or you hire more than one part time assistant? |
Anonymous
The SAHMs who work part-time in my building never shut up about their kids. |
Anonymous
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"If that is not the case, and you just need a bit more attention from an otherwise-good secretary, then you should take an interest in her and actually try to become friends with her. Don't be patronizing, just be friendly."
Do men do this? |
Anonymous
duh. why wouldnt you be friendly with EVERYONE you work with? |
Anonymous
Because some coworkers undercut you. Duh. |