January 17, 2008
Second-Class Treatment of Law Firm Staff
Tom Collins and I were discussing the relationship between legal professionals and non-lawyer employees of law firms. Following up our conversation he sent the comment to post:
I will never forget the time I spent on the site of a one law firm. The entire five-person accounting department shared one windowless office. Desks were pushed against one another. The accounting staff worked in chairs with missing arms, torn upholstery and busted springs. Their mismatched desks looked to be recovered salvage with missing drawers and loose veneer. This was an extreme case, but it is standard operating procedure for many firms to treat their non-professional staff as second-class citizens.
The non-lawyer support staff in a law firm has a lot of influence over the success of the firm's legal professionals—they can spoil the soup. How they feel about the firm is reflected in how they deal with law firm clients and prospects.
Excellence in client services starts with excellence in how the firm treats its own people.
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Filed under Firm Culture, HR by Brian J. Ritchey
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