Maintaining Collegial Interactions

• Author: Sharon Meit Abrahams
• Pages: 10-13

10

III. POINTERS FOR MAINTAINING

COLLEGIAL INTERACTIONS

Pointer # 34

Knowing Who Does What

Become very familiar with the

structure of the administrative side

of the  rm. By knowing who does

what, you decrease time spent waiting

to get tasks accomplished. If you can

identify key people, and make strong

professional relationships with them,

you will receive, and in turn provide,

better service.

Connecting with Your Secretary

Your secretary probably knows a whole

lot more about the practice of law

than you do at this early stage of your

career, Ask him or her to share their

knowledge and you will be initiating

a solid relationship. Everyone in your

 rm wants to see you succeed and

your secretary will be your strongest

advocate if you have good rapport.

Pointer # 35

Meeting the O ce

Administrator

Find out who the main administrative

or Human Resources person is and

meet him or her. He or she may not be

located in your o ce, so you may have

to make contact via the telephone or

email. Inquire as to best approaches

for future inquiries, and make an ally

out of this person.

Pointer # 36

Meeting the Librarian

Most likely there is a librarian at

your  rm. Make an appointment to

meet with this person and have him

or her give you a refresher about

the resources available through the

 rm. Many  rms have converted to

online databases or CD-ROMs rather

than making everything available

in hard copy or book format. If you

need guidance in using the library

resources, schedule and attend related

training.

Pointer # 37

Valuing the Paralegals

A paralegal is a professional who can

assist you in all areas of your practice.

A paralegal is not a  le clerk, but

someone trained to handle many

aspects of legal cases or matters under

the supervision of a lawyer. Clients