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November 05, 2008
How Do You Want To Be Perceived?
It is important to distinguish ourselves and to be seen as professional, personable and able to work well with others. It is hard for not only law students but the general public to determine how they want others to see them. It is important to really think about this…how you want the world to perceive you. As lawyers by nature we tend to be adversarial. Law school teaches us to advocate for our clients but sometimes we forget the importance of getting along with our peers, clients and employers. Numerous employers discuss the importance of an associate’s ability to get along with the employees and make clients feel at ease.
Your law classes are teaching you to think analytically and how to best advocate for your client. Part of that is to debate and to make a strong argument that fits your client’s facts. What if you chose to do this for yourself? Remember to place just as much emphasis on your professional persona as you will do for your clients.
It is hard for an employer to deal with a young associate who “knows everything”. Employers do not want to see that you are right - they want that you possess the skills of proper advocacy and the ability to negotiate with your competitors. If you know everything and come off as arrogant not only will your clients suffer, your colleagues will not want to deal with you. Being a good lawyer is knowing how to deal with everyone in an amicable way.
You never know who you will encounter in the future so always behave professionally and cordial. Your professional reputation may depend on it!
The ABA’s article entitled, “Office Etiquette Essentials,” By Deborah Schneider highlights some important issues when thinking about interviewing or how you want to be perceived. Below are key tips for how to behave in the professional world. The full article can be found at: http://www.abanet.org/media/youraba/200704/article12.html
Do mind your manners
One of the most commonly reported offenses of young lawyers is treating support staff disrespectfully. Treating staff with the utmost respect is not only the right thing to do, but it also can make your work life a lot easier.
"You need the staff's support for everything from finding office supplies to filing court documents," notes Lisa Dickinson, director of career planning at the University of San Francisco School of Law. "If you treat them well, they will look out for you and offer extra help and insider information."
Conversely, if you develop a reputation as someone who is difficult to work with, your work might end up at the bottom of the pile.
One lawyer at a Washington-based government agency points out that support staff may be called on to help evaluate your job performance.
"As part of my evaluation, the firm I worked for as a summer associate asked my assistant what she thought of me," he says. "I hadn't expected that and was doubly thankful I had always treated my assistant with respect and collegiality."
Of course, it's not just support staff you should treat respectfully. It's everyone.
"Use basic politeness," Abrahams says. "Say ‘please' and ‘thank you.' Hold doors for people. Try it and see what a big difference it makes in how people relate to you. You'll get more with honey than with vinegar."
Another important way to show respect for your colleagues is respecting their time.
"Don't be late," notes White, "either to a meeting or with a promised item. Lack of punctuality is a sign of rudeness that tells others that you think your time is more important than theirs. If you know you will be late, give as much advance notice as possible. And if you are late despite your best efforts, don't interrupt the meeting when you enter. Apologize to the meeting organizer and don't do it again."
Do watch what you say
Despite the saying "actions speak louder than words," your words can speak volumes about you. That's why it's so important to be mindful of what you say and how you say it, when you're looking for a job and when you're on the job.
When it comes to the manner in which you express yourself, a common misstep is using language that's, like, too casual.
"The most common workplace etiquette faux pas I've observed among law student interns is using the word ‘like' and other slang words too often," says Karen Doran, an associate at Maduff, Medina & Maduff in Chicago. "When law clerks sound more like high school students than burgeoning attorneys, it is difficult for me to take them, and their work, seriously."
How to improve your language? Doran suggests reading classic books, newspapers like The New York Times, and magazines such as The New Yorker and The Economist.
As for what you say, make sure you think before you speak.
"Even if your office atmosphere is congenial and informal, do not ever make jokes or comments that could be perceived as offensive or inappropriate," says Ellen Fred, an associate at Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass in San Francisco. "You're still in a professional setting and should conform your behavior accordingly. Inappropriate comments tend to stick in people's memories."
That's certainly the case with Glover. "In one instance," she recalls, "I was in a cab with three summer associates who began discussing in explicit detail the sex one of them had with a pick-up date the night before."
Do recover gracefully
According to Morris, Abrahams, and Dickinson, overcoming an etiquette slip-up is a four-step process:
Address the issue directly and don't ignore it or try to cover it up.
Apologize to the appropriate individual(s) and acknowledge that you made a mistake.
Make any necessary amends or take any action needed to remedy the situation.
Learn from your mistake and don't repeat it again.
So, for example, if you are disrespectful to your assistant, apologize and do something nice for him or her (like bringing flowers or sweets) and don't behave rudely ever again.
Don't beat yourself up too much, either.
"If you're not sure how to handle a particular situation, seek advice from a trusted colleague," Morris advises. "Most importantly, keep your head up, own up to your behavior, and act like a professional. The best lawyers and law students can deal with the hardest aspects of communication."
Doran agrees. "A law clerk who recognizes the problem and takes responsibility to actively remedy it goes a long way in my mind to becoming a clerk I can trust."
Posted by kcc17 at November 5, 2008 04:48 PM