In-House Counsel, Politics

Supporting Trump Or Clinton? Plead the Fifth!

In-house columnist Stephen R. Williams has taken a professional vow of political silence for the rest of the election season.

By  
on

shut up shush quiet finger to lipsWhen the two leading party candidates for president this fall have been dubbed “Crooked Hillary” and “Racist Trump,” you know the political climate in the nation is at a breaking point. Yet with the non-stop media coverage of the election cycle, and now each party’s political convention, it is hard to escape the latest campaign gossip as a topic of conversation in the office.

As a self-professed political junkie, I could talk politics all day long. Before coming in-house, I worked for an elected official, and I devour the latest political news like a tabloid reader tracks the Kardashian clan. And while I cannot tell you the current rosters of my state’s professional sports teams, you better believe I can tick off every state’s U.S. Senator – surprisingly this did little to help me win a date to prom in high school.

Although I would love to jump in whenever I hear anyone on my team or around the office talk politics, I have to restrain myself from running to join the conversation. On its face it seems like an innocent opportunity to connect and build relationships with my direct reports or colleagues, but the risk for alienating other team members or peers is too high.

I recognize this is wel- worn advice. Never talk politics or religion at the dinner table or while getting a haircut. However, now more than ever, both managers and in-house counsel need to heed this adage.

Unlike previous election cycles that I can recall, in this cycle, if you support a particular candidate, you are automatically tagged with being an ardent supporter of not only all of that candidate’s views, but every public statement or action that candidate has ever done or said.

And that is a scary proposition.

As attorneys, we are good at removing emotion from a given situation and letting the facts drive our conclusion. We can easily support Secretary Clinton’s position on Issue A and Mr. Trump’s position on Issue B without adopting their platform in full or even agreeing to vote for them. But to a divided general public, it isn’t possible to make such a distinction.

Sponsored

Which is why, as much as it pains me to do so, I have taken a professional vow of political silence for the remainder of the election season. Don’t get me wrong, I am still religiously following the latest news, and I am more than happy to discuss politics with anyone who I do not work with after 5:00 p.m. — but with my colleagues, my lips are sealed.

This has proven to be a bit easier said than done. Each morning I find myself hiding the truth from colleagues who asked if I saw one of the candidate’s speeches the evening before. It physically hurts when I have to claim I have no opinion on a particular proposal. But such is the life of not only a manager, but as in-house counsel.

Since in-house counsel serve as trusted confidants or the arbitrators of internal disputes between departments, our advice must be viewed as fair and unbiased. Being labeled as the right-wing gun nut or left-wing healthcare hippie will do little to instill a sense of confidence amongst my colleagues as I work to resolve whatever their issue may be. Frankly, I would rather be viewed as apolitical than alienate some of my colleagues or team members who do not share my political views.

Besides, between the weather changing daily and whatever sport was televised last night, there are plenty of things to discuss at work other than politics. Now all I need to do is check out this ESPN channel people keep telling me about for some new topics of conversation.

Sponsored

Stephen R. Williams is in-house counsel with a multi-facility hospital network in the Midwest. His column focuses on a little talked about area of the in-house life, management. You can reach Stephen at stephenwilliamsjd@gmail.com.

Topics

, , , , , ,