Use Reviews Well

When you have your essential sit-down meetings with your supervisees, be respectful but frank, and listen as much as you speak.

john-balestriereWhen you have your essential sit-down meetings with your supervisees, be respectful but frank, and listen as much as you speak.

At our firm and many law firms, the beginning of the year is the time for staff reviews. Individual firm staffers meet with their supervisors to discuss neither case matters nor clients, but that individual: how she is doing, what she does well, where she needs to improve, how the firm can make her life better, and all that.

Many managers I’ve spoken to dread reviews. While their excuses may be that it takes a lot of time or that the staff person “already knows” how he is doing, I think the reluctance is due to our increasing apprehension about criticizing someone face to face. There’s plenty of entertaining stories about couples who break up via text, academic pieces about the social harm of social media, and it seems like every other week there’s another TED talk about how we do not know how to relate to people face to face due to our overuse of texting and Facebook (though the best commentary I’ve seen on this topic is this).

Managers should not dread reviews but welcome that genuine, unhurried face-to-face time. While managers should not wait until reviews to discuss major concerns with their staff—and staffers should not wait until a once- or twice-a-year event to raise issues with their superiors—it’s essential to have unrushed time with those you manage, mentor, and cultivate.

Besides the need actually to have these reviews, I believe that the two key elements to the review are to discuss both the positive and the negative with the supervisee, and to hear what the supervisee has to say (about you, about the firm, or about anything) as well.

Perhaps it’s obvious, but you do not want to tell those you supervise only the things they can improve. Also tell them what they do well, and with specificity. “You’re doing a great job” is a nice opener or closer, but it is not as helpful as “I know if someone gives an assignment, you will make sure it gets done no matter what” or “you’re an excellent, focused writer.” To be sure, absolutely do tell your supervisees what they can do better. The review is an opportunity for development for the supervisee, and it’s part of your job to respectfully, but directly, tell those you supervise where they can improve. You are not doing your supervisees any favors by ignoring their faults or weak points. Help those you supervise get better.

Also, let them help you and your firm get better. While at our firm we try to keep the lines of communication open, it’s a lot easier for someone, especially a junior staffer, to share his or her concerns when someone directly asks them in, again, an unrushed face-to-face meeting, “How can we do things better? How can I make your work better or more satisfying?” You can get answers that range from modifying current procedures, to dealing with clients differently, to working on different cases, to just about anything. The supervisee may make suggestions which are impossible to satisfy, or which you know from experience will not result in improvement. That’s fine, and make clear to the supervisee that while you value their input, you may not be able to do what they ask. But do ask, and do listen, and show that you do.

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Devote the time and effort you must to have scheduled face-to-face reviews so that those you supervise can know that they and their ideas are respected, so that you can help those you supervise become better, more accomplished, and more satisfied professionals — which will make your firm more successful.


John Balestriere is an entrepreneurial trial lawyer who founded his firm after working as a prosecutor and litigator at a small firm. He is a partner at trial and investigations law firm Balestriere Fariello in New York, where he and his colleagues represent domestic and international clients in litigation, arbitration, appeals, and investigations. You can reach him by email at john.g.balestriere@balestrierefariello.com.

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