Struggling with poor admin/paralegal support for years....
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Anonymous
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I've been an attorney for over 10 years in various capacities (law firm, government, etc.). It seems in every job I am in, I struggle initially with the assigned admin support or paralegal. With pushback, and a low level respect and responsiveness. I struggle with how to deal with it in terms of responding "nicely" vs. being more firm. In talking to my law school friends, it sounds like they also struggle with this issue, and find that the partners or the folks who are more "in charge" receive a higher level of service and courtesy. I'm a new work environment now and don't want to be labeled as a "complainer." How can I hold my admin/paralegal more accountable without suffering negative consequences? My admin now is a younger/millennial female who has a strong opinion of herself and tends to not understand the full ramifications of her mistakes. I also feel that she does not demonstrate the same level of professional courtesy to me as she does to others. On the one hand, I want to complain and/or request another person for support. On the other hand, I am new in this position and don't want to make mistakes early on that could impact me down the road.
(I am a woman of color who looks very "young", if that matters). |
Anonymous
| Before you request someone else, you need to show you took steps to correct it. Work with her, daily if you have to, and focus on having her see the big picture and what her role is. Explain how mistakes have rippling effects. Document what you discussed and any progress she made between sessions. |
Anonymous
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I'm a (not as much as before, sadly) younger looking AA female attorney and I have gotten a lot of good support staff over the years. Occasionally, I have been stuck with someone who doesn't seem very bright and or to care (law firms never seemed to push them out) but most have been really bright, eager to please, and very competent. I feel as if I develop a rapport with most of them early and they want to do a great job for me. I'm not sure why, but I have often been described by the support staff as down-to-earth and I suspect that is it. My mom was a legal secretary, and growing up I heard all about issues from her side of the aisle. I'm not friends with my support staff, but I am very friendly. I think it's a bit of the opposite of the way you might be leaning, which is why I bring it up.
I wouldn't complain about it until you're established there. |
Anonymous
| I think this is a common issue for young attorneys. I am also an attorney and have been practicing for about the same amount of time as you. I struggled with this more when I first started out, now its not a problem. I have run into support staff that seem to resent young attorneys. Maybe its because young attorneys don't know anything and still make a lot more than they do, or maybe because the attorneys act like arrogant pricks. =) I think in many cases its some of both. I think establishing a friendly rapport with the support staff is the best way to go. Be respectful and courteous of them, and treat them like professionals, not like "the help." When you have a good relationship, they will WANT to work with you and do good work for you. If you treat them like they are beneath you, they will likely resent you and will do everything possible to avoid working with you. |
Anonymous
| If this keeps happening to you over the course of more than one job, the problem may be you and not your admin/paralegal. Check your attitude. |
Anonymous
| Thanks for all the great advice! I've been described as very direct and so perhaps I need to work on my people skills. Are there any recommendations on little things that you do to make sure they feel respected? I try my best to be friendly but then sometimes I feel I am too nice and get walked on/over as a result. |
Anonymous
If they do a good job on something specific, compliment them on their work, especially in front of someone higher than you. Support staff complains (at every place I've been) that there are at least 1-2 attorneys that don't even bother to say hi or acknowledge them. Don't be that asshole. Actually treat them as the professionals they are and acknowledge when/if they know something more than you do. Little things, like don't hover closely behind their back reading their computer screen (I've heard from more than 1 how annoying this is), or apologize for doing so if you need to see the screen. Understand they may have priorities you don't even know about, especially if they support other attorneys. So when I hand off something urgent, I do it with an apology: I'm so sorry that I've got to get this done right away, and I hope it doesn't mess you up...that kind of thing. But it's clear that we need to work on this now, I'm just trying to say that nicely. Be interested in their families or whatever it is they are doing when not working. In other words....Golden Rule applies. |
Anonymous
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I have a staff and management is a hard task.
Continue to be direct, very direct. Give tasks via email with a due date, or make it an outlook calendar item. Then you can give details orally. but you need to have the expectation of a finished product written down. Also, be nice. Greet her during the day and have a short conversation each day to show you value her as a person. I'm often surprised how much management staff people need, but they just do. So learn how to be a good manager. Separately, it seems like firms are paying staff people less, and trying to cut corners, so a new hire millennial paralegal with a not great attitude doesn't surprise me. You get what you pay for. |
Anonymous
Agree with this. I also wouldn't complain until you've been there at least a year. You need to give it time to develop a rapport with people. When I've been in jobs where I had to work for someone, I liked the bosses that treated everyone nicely. I didn't like the ones that looked down on others. |
Anonymous
| If after 10 years of working, you are experiencing this problem in multiple settings, the issue lies with you. |
Anonymous
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Hire a SAHM who is returning to the workforce. We will work our asses off to get back in the door. We are used to dealing with conflict. We appreciate getting out of the f'n house and having a job to go to everyday. We are at an age where we want to support other strong women and see them succeed. We will have your back and make you shine!
I am available immediately. I have excellent writing and research skills, and will treat you with the respect that you deserve. |
Anonymous
| One more thing, the worst paralegals will be the ones assigned to new staff (in general). |
Anonymous
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I'm a legal secretary. I have no problem working for someone younger than I am. I try to do the absolute best job I can for everyone I work for. In all honesty, I DO sometimes bump associate work when a partner needs something, but at the same time, generally every time I'm given a task by either associate or partner, I ask when they need it turned around, so nobody's work falls through the cracks.
I appreciate the hell out of "please" and "thank you." I appreciate not being given work at 4:58pm (or give it to me but say you don't need it until tomorrow morning). You know what frustrates me with some associates? Either, their instructions are not clear (send this to the client HOW? email? fax? mail? messenger?), or they don't give me enough information to do a good job. I am also highly insulted when an attorney says "You don't need to know that." I've been doing my job a long time. If I'm asking a question, it's because it'll help me to do a better job for YOU, the client and ultimately the firm. If you want to tell me I don't need to know things, then that causes me to mentally check out. It means I won't think about next steps, I won't anticipate your needs, etc. That phrase is kind of the kiss of death for me. If you need to say "Let's talk tomorrow and I'll give you a three minute overview of the case then," that's cool. I know it's not always a good time. Make sure your instructions are complete. Say please and thank you. Give deadlines. That's all I need. |
Anonymous
The resort I deserve includes having my coffee prepared just the way I like it on my desk, approximately 3 minutes before I arrive in the office. |
Anonymous
+1 |