Managing Up at a BigLaw Firm
One of the trickiest parts of working at a BigLaw firm is how both employees and the work are managed. Work is brought in by the partners and then divided up within the practice group and working groups. Partners gravitate towards other partners and associates that they like working with. There's not a hard requirement to make sure that work is evenly distributed. Additionally, most partners do as much work as they do manage people doing work. Thus, they are not always incentivized to prioritize organized delegation and management of work flow. More and more, firms are hiring professional staff to be involved in this process, but it can be difficult for them to be fully effective when they are not embedded in the work flow.
So what's a BigLaw associate to do? "Managing up" is a buzzword that has been around for a while. But it means different things depending on where you work. And when it comes to BigLaw firms, there's a very particular way of doing it effectively:
Identify who needs "managing up" most. Law firm working groups are a complex web of partners, senior associates, junior associates and support staff. The composition of a particular working group can vary deal-to-deal or case-to-case. You may be working with a senior associate who is very clear about their direction and needs. This person may not need to be prioritized for managing up. At the same time, a junior partner on the same project may be communicating with you directly in an unclear, haphazard way - hard-to-understand emails, sporadic and unpredictable communication, etc. For managing up, start with this type of person.
Start with the person's schedule. When managing up to someone who supervises your work at a law firm, the best place to start is with their schedule. Are they in the office all the time or do they work remotely a lot? Are they early birds or night owls? Do they take long gaps mid-day for the gym or do they work right through lunch? Do they have hard stops for kid pick ups or commutes? Knowing when a partner or senior associate does their work ensures you can better predict when they need might need you and be prepared to be responsive at that time.
Communicate the way that they like to communicate. In an ideal world, you would sit down with a supervisor on each deal or case and identify expectations, workflow, timeline, etc. At large law firms, there might not be time for that on a particular project. Respect how the partner or senior associate wants to communicate and respond in kind whenever you are able. If they like to speak in person and talk issues out, budget time for that. If they like to send short, to-the-point emails, do your best to communicate in the same way.
Be thoughtful of shifting timelines and deadlines. It sounds easy to say, but don't rush something that's not urgent and be prepared to drop something when a more urgent deadline comes along. This is imperative for managing up at a BigLaw firm. Remember that you are part of a much larger project and the timeline can change in an instant. Don't take sudden changes personally. Remember that you are in a client-driven business. If you need to ask questions to understand how to research for a memo, but you know it's not urgent to the client or partner, then put it to the side and come back to it when it is.
Compile your questions into a succinct list for a single conversation. Maybe it's been a week and you haven't been able to get in touch with your supervising partner regarding a deal. The list of questions is piling up. Keep a running list, but make sure that list is as succinct and to-the-point as possible. You may only get 5 minutes of the partner's time and you will want to make sure you cover everything you need to, but in an efficient manner.
Ask for help! BigLaw firms are very busy places, but they have professional support systems in place to help you manage your workflow. Seek out mentors or professional development professionals to walk through your issues and concerns and get their advice. Your workflow problems won't be solved if you suffer in silence.