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Working with slightly more senior person who delays work?

Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 11:46 am
by Anonymous User
Thanks everyone. Helpful replies.

Anon and removed original text because proximity in time to the frequency with which this is happening feels sensitive.

Re: Working with slightly more senior person who delays work?

Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 12:26 pm
by notinbiglaw
Isn't this what CC is for?

Re: Working with slightly more senior person who delays work?

Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 12:34 pm
by jimmythecatdied6
If the person is only one year "senior" to you, why don't you just offer to send it yourself? the person isn't even senior in any meaningful sense.

Re: Working with slightly more senior person who delays work?

Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 12:40 pm
by beepboopbeep
"Let me know if you have time to review today. Absent objection, I plan to send to next-most-senior person by Xpm."

Re: Working with slightly more senior person who delays work?

Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 1:09 pm
by Pro Era
beepboopbeep wrote:
Fri May 21, 2021 12:40 pm
"Let me know if you have time to review today. Absent objection, I plan to send to next-most-senior person by Xpm."
This - just cut out the middle man. No need to throw them under the bus when you send the document to the next rung up the ladder, but if you get asked by the senior associate or partner whether this person reviewed tell them they didn't get back to you after you sent it to them at around X am/pm, so you wanted to send it up in the interest of time.

Re: Working with slightly more senior person who delays work?

Posted: Sat May 22, 2021 8:35 am
by Anonymous User
I didn't see the original post and so lack the context of the specific facts, but with that significant caveat aside, I am a little nervous that you are getting bad advice.

I am a sixth year associate and it's not uncommon for certain matters I work on to staff both a second year and a first year. Ordinarily, I definitely expect the second year to review the first year's work, and it's really noticeable when the second year does not. Most times, I'd much rather review something that's in better shape, even if it means I get a draft to review later than I otherwise would. I totally get being on the other side of this by the way, and remember how frustrated I was when I would do something quickly and (I thought) well, and the second year would sit on it for days. But that is how it goes sometimes.

On the other hand, there are definitely sometimes small projects where I just email the first year associate directly asking for something basic that doesn't require another layer of review. When doing so, I try to make it clear that the first year can just send the thing to me when it's ready, but I can understand how that can be ambiguous, and if that is the situation you are dealing with, that is really the fault of the senior associate.

Re: Working with slightly more senior person who delays work?

Posted: Sat May 22, 2021 1:05 pm
by beepboopbeep
Yea, I mean I take no position on whether it's wise for OP to skip the one-year-more-senior associate's review in the context of a particular assignment. That's going to turn on team expectations, what years both associates are, the assignment itself, etc. My quote was only meant to be, here is a tool you can use when it's appropriate to shortcircuit the extra layer of review if it's slowing things down and you, rather than the one-year-more-senior person, are taking the heat for that. FWIW, I my memory of the OP pre-deletion something like the class years were 3rd/4th rather than 1st/2nd. Could be misremembering.