20 Law Prac. Mgmt. 46 (1994)
Dysfunction in the Law Office (Do You Recognize Anyone Here); Nefertari, Nomalanga

handle is hein.journals/lwpra20 and id is 254 raw text is: INTERNAL FIRM RELATIONS DYSFUNCTION in the LAW OFFICE (DO YOU RECOGNIZE ANYONE HERE?) By Nomalanga Nefertari i ts 11 a'm. on Monday. John Smith, a partner at a medium-sized law firm, realizes he has a brief to file in two days which he has avoided. Discovery in another case is due tomorrow, but he hasn't had time to review the file. A response to a motion for summary judgment in his biggest case is due shortly, and he is certain associates have bungled it. His paralegal is out sick. His secretary, who can't type as fast as he believes she should, arrived late because of a family emergency. To make matters worse, the opening topic at the breakfast board meeting was firm finances-in the red. Financial concerns were quickly diverted by disgruntled comments about the receptionist who isn't answering calls properly, and associates who aren't producing quality work. Smith, already suffering a throbbing headache, proceeds to his secre- tary's desk, blaming her for not reminding him sooner of discovery dead- lines. When she complains that routine emergencies and long hours are stressing her out, he responds rudely that she needs to pay more atten- tion to details. He calls opposing counsel for an extension of time on his discovery, blaming his secretary's shortsightedness for overlooking the due date. He then walks down the hall to the ojfice of an associate-who did not return any of the half-dozen calls he made to his home over the weekend. Smith hands him the discovery to finish, and in an intimidat- ing manner tells him to drop everything, including his plans for an upcoming three-day weekend. 46 Law Practice Management

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