Not Quite So Powerful
Nice Partner and I have been very busy lately. We have the Case From Hell, where we fire letters and pleadings back and forth with the opposing counsel rapid-fire style. They do sleazy things, like trying to set up ex parte hearings, and we go running to the Judge's secretary, getting her to agree her courtroom doesn't do ex parte. There are threats. There are accusations of lack of professional courtesy. There's Nice Partner yelling to me not to pick up calls from that law firm. There's waiting until 4:55 p.m. to fax letters. It's war.
Today, Nice Partner gives me a pleading for the Case From Hell to revise, telling me it's a rush. I start working on it, when NP comes back and tells me to put it aside. There's a new priority in town. There's a hearing tomorrow on another case. There's no Courtcall set up. Whoops. NP wanted to appear by telephone. He has another Courtcall an hour before this one isn't scheduled. The hearing tomorrow is far from the office. This is a problem. I call Courtcall. No dice - had to be set up at least five days prior.
Nice Partner is pissed. At me, at himself, he doesn't care. His ego cares though - he's a PARTNER and nothing is ever his fault. If a mistake is made, it's on someone else's head, because he didn't make partner by making mistakes. I can see where his mind is going here, and compliment myself for having created a Courtcall file in my Outlook Inbox. Quickly I run a search to see if NP sent me an e-mail telling me to set up a Courtcall. If I dropped the ball that will SUCK. No e-mail. This one wasn't my fault. NP is informed that he last talked to me in February about setting up a March appearance, but there's nothing past then.
I call Courtcall back to ask if they think it's worth calling the Courtroom Clerk. You can do that sometimes - basically ask special permission, see if they'll bend the rules. Generally, I have very good luck when I make these phone calls. In New York, you have to be super duper extra polite when talking to Court personnel, and they're not shy about hanging up on you if you don't have all the information, or you're stupid. In California it's different - they view themselves as there to help YOU, the Person. They thank me when I call for their help. They offer to transfer me AND give me the phone number "just in case."
When I started dealing with the courts here, I kept my same New York attitude - a little nice goes a long way, and that's what I attribute my good luck to in these situations. Before calling the Court, I pull together all my information, gather my thoughts, and wait for LEL to stop squawking. She's so loud that other people can hear her when I'm on the phone, and I feel unprofessional asking people to repeat what they just told me.
I call the Court, and after being transferred twice, get the Courtroom Clerk. I carefully plead my case, making sure to speak quickly but not slur my words. "Sorry, it's five days" the guy tells me. He doesn't sound like he'll be changing his mind. I again explain that my boss has accidentally found himself practically double-booked, and ask if there are any solutions. Yes, I just asked the Court for legal advice, which is not exactly the most perfect thing to do.
But I haven't given any proper nouns except my first name, so it's okay. Plus, you know, we're kind of desperate. "I can't advise you on that. You could have another attorney do a special appearance." I thank him, and hang up. He just contradicted himself, but that's okay.
Nice Partner is a very organized guy - the idea that he dropped the ball flusters him, and he's so upset that I know it's not the time to tell him he's being a big pussy about this. That attorneys CAN be in two places at once. Three is tricky, but two is totally doable.
I slowly walk into his office and tell him we were told no on the waiver of the five-day thing, but I can check around to see if another attorney at our firm is available. Nice Partner curses, and his ego has taken over for his brain now. Of course we were told no because of my incompetence. He demands the phone number, claiming he'll call and get this all straightened out. Okay then, Big Guy. Good luck with that.
Fetching the phone number, I wonder if I can get away with staying in his office to listen to this call, but decide it would fluster Nice Partner, and it's best that I try to listen from my desk. I get distracted by work and can't hear what's going on. Damn LEL for being so loud.
Now it's 4:30 p.m., and NP tells me he doesn't know what he's going to do about tomorrow. Yeah, so he got told no also. Dumbass, ask one of your buddies down the hall to cover for you! I even went so far as to already tell you this!
It takes 45 more minutes for Nice Partner to ask another partner to cover for him. On my way out of the office, I drop the file on the covering partner's chair. An ego can be a dangerous thing.
Today, Nice Partner gives me a pleading for the Case From Hell to revise, telling me it's a rush. I start working on it, when NP comes back and tells me to put it aside. There's a new priority in town. There's a hearing tomorrow on another case. There's no Courtcall set up. Whoops. NP wanted to appear by telephone. He has another Courtcall an hour before this one isn't scheduled. The hearing tomorrow is far from the office. This is a problem. I call Courtcall. No dice - had to be set up at least five days prior.
Nice Partner is pissed. At me, at himself, he doesn't care. His ego cares though - he's a PARTNER and nothing is ever his fault. If a mistake is made, it's on someone else's head, because he didn't make partner by making mistakes. I can see where his mind is going here, and compliment myself for having created a Courtcall file in my Outlook Inbox. Quickly I run a search to see if NP sent me an e-mail telling me to set up a Courtcall. If I dropped the ball that will SUCK. No e-mail. This one wasn't my fault. NP is informed that he last talked to me in February about setting up a March appearance, but there's nothing past then.
I call Courtcall back to ask if they think it's worth calling the Courtroom Clerk. You can do that sometimes - basically ask special permission, see if they'll bend the rules. Generally, I have very good luck when I make these phone calls. In New York, you have to be super duper extra polite when talking to Court personnel, and they're not shy about hanging up on you if you don't have all the information, or you're stupid. In California it's different - they view themselves as there to help YOU, the Person. They thank me when I call for their help. They offer to transfer me AND give me the phone number "just in case."
When I started dealing with the courts here, I kept my same New York attitude - a little nice goes a long way, and that's what I attribute my good luck to in these situations. Before calling the Court, I pull together all my information, gather my thoughts, and wait for LEL to stop squawking. She's so loud that other people can hear her when I'm on the phone, and I feel unprofessional asking people to repeat what they just told me.
I call the Court, and after being transferred twice, get the Courtroom Clerk. I carefully plead my case, making sure to speak quickly but not slur my words. "Sorry, it's five days" the guy tells me. He doesn't sound like he'll be changing his mind. I again explain that my boss has accidentally found himself practically double-booked, and ask if there are any solutions. Yes, I just asked the Court for legal advice, which is not exactly the most perfect thing to do.
But I haven't given any proper nouns except my first name, so it's okay. Plus, you know, we're kind of desperate. "I can't advise you on that. You could have another attorney do a special appearance." I thank him, and hang up. He just contradicted himself, but that's okay.
Nice Partner is a very organized guy - the idea that he dropped the ball flusters him, and he's so upset that I know it's not the time to tell him he's being a big pussy about this. That attorneys CAN be in two places at once. Three is tricky, but two is totally doable.
I slowly walk into his office and tell him we were told no on the waiver of the five-day thing, but I can check around to see if another attorney at our firm is available. Nice Partner curses, and his ego has taken over for his brain now. Of course we were told no because of my incompetence. He demands the phone number, claiming he'll call and get this all straightened out. Okay then, Big Guy. Good luck with that.
Fetching the phone number, I wonder if I can get away with staying in his office to listen to this call, but decide it would fluster Nice Partner, and it's best that I try to listen from my desk. I get distracted by work and can't hear what's going on. Damn LEL for being so loud.
Now it's 4:30 p.m., and NP tells me he doesn't know what he's going to do about tomorrow. Yeah, so he got told no also. Dumbass, ask one of your buddies down the hall to cover for you! I even went so far as to already tell you this!
It takes 45 more minutes for Nice Partner to ask another partner to cover for him. On my way out of the office, I drop the file on the covering partner's chair. An ego can be a dangerous thing.
Labels: Nice Parter
posted by Green at 4/09/2007 10:11:00 PM
1 Comments:
I love that when a mistake was made by an atty their first instinct is to pass the buck and blame staff. "IT WAS YOUR DUTY TO REMIND ME" uh, I'm not a member of the bar last time I checked, nor am I pulling down 6 figures with a huge bonus. a little humility goes a LONG way and that seems to be a chip most attys are missing. A key to working for a truly nice guy is when he quietly accepts consequences for his action/mess ups and doesn't try to pass the buck.
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