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Asking current colleagues for references
Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 8:21 am
by Anonymous User
I was speaking with a colleague regarding references (she knows I’m looking to lateral). I asked if she could serve as a reference, but she told me that she’s only allowed to provide dates of employment due to firm policy. Do a lot of firms have that limitation? I thought that was only an HR thing. I didn’t know it applied to associates.
Re: Asking current colleagues for references
Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 9:01 am
by cavalier1138
If it's a firm policy for her, it's a firm policy for you. So if it's not in any of your documents, then she might just be tactfully (or not so tactfully) declining to provide a reference.
Re: Asking current colleagues for references
Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 10:37 am
by Anonymous User
cavalier1138 wrote:If it's a firm policy for her, it's a firm policy for you. So if it's not in any of your documents, then she might just be tactfully (or not so tactfully) declining to provide a reference.
We are very close, so I doubt that’s the case. Would info like that be in a handbook? I guess I’ll have to doublecheck.
Re: Asking current colleagues for references
Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 12:27 pm
by QContinuum
Anonymous User wrote:I was speaking with a colleague regarding references (she knows I’m looking to lateral). I asked if she could serve as a reference, but she told me that she’s only allowed to provide dates of employment due to firm policy. Do a lot of firms have that limitation? I thought that was only an HR thing. I didn’t know it applied to associates.
IME a lot of lawyers adopt that policy as a personal matter. It's not uncommon in firms. Makes it tricky to find references. Once I had to push really hard before a retired partner (who really liked me and my work) reluctantly agreed to be listed as a reference. (I didn't want to have only academic refs from years ago who would be unable to speak to my work product in private practice.) Funny thing was, he never actually got called.
Re: Asking current colleagues for references
Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 7:09 pm
by cheaptilts
The associate likely is construing the firm’s HR policy of only confirming dates of employment (to insulate itself from any later claims of defamation, no matter the applicable privilege; to benefit the associate as part of any severance agreement; and/or as a matter of convenience; etc.) with a prohibition against associates serving as a reference.
The employee handbook would, of course, reveal whether the employee is in fact confused. But it may not be worth pushing back.