“I am not sure if you noticed or not, but I have been in a position before as a manager where one of my employees had the hots for me, and it can be tricky.”
“So I thought you should know… your law clerk has the ogle eyes for you.”
This was recently relayed to me by a 66-year-old female member of my team after she walked into my office, closed my door, and asked if we could discuss something personal in nature.
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While I attempted to control my laughter and quizzical facial expressions at what had just transpired, I quickly assured her I was very happily married and had not noticed. After she left my office, however, my laughter quickly turned to worry. Did she think something more was at play? Or that I was a willing participant in the perceived flirtation? And if she thought it, was anyone else on my female-dominated team having similar thoughts?
For the record, my colleague’s assessment could not be further from the truth. What she perceived as “ogle eyes” are what we in the legal profession know as the “please hire me” eyes we used to flash to as many attorneys with hiring power as we could when we were in law school. It is the same look I have seen from dozens of former law clerks and externs of both sexes as they worked to secure full-time employment after their graduation.
But that’s beside the point. Although I know my law clerk is certainly not ogling this middle–aged, frumpy, tall drink of water, in the world of office gossip, where perception can be more important than reality, I knew I needed to take some form of action.
That would, however, prove to be a difficult task. This particular clerk is tasked with handling all of our litigation matters, meaning that I instinctively close my office door during any meeting I have with her given the nature of our discussions. She also happens to be the best and brightest out of our current class of clerks, which means I often entrust her with other assignments that necessitate closed door meetings.
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Needless to say, I now plan in advance and schedule a public-facing conference room for our meetings. Either that, or I am mindful to invite other participants to the meeting as well. I have also had to put an end to many of my corny legal jokes only other legal-minded individuals understand. Admit it, we all like to make the occasional Blackacre pun when we can. As absurd as it may be, what I view as two nerds making a reference only they understand just may be perceived as something more by a non-legal colleague.
A touch extreme? Absolutely, but that’s the point.
When you work as in-house counsel, your reputation is all that you have. A mere hint of inappropriateness perceived by even an older, well-intentioned colleague, however misplaced it might be, can cripple or even kill a career.
While I know Biglaw has made great strides in recent years, the old-boys’ club mentality is still sadly prevalent in many firms in the nation. While an unabashed sexist or philanderer may not survive long in modern Biglaw, a rumor of impropriety certainly will not be treated as the death knell that it is in the in-house world.
Sure, it is absolutely an unfair standard in-house counsel are subject to. But if we are called upon to be the arbiter in employee disputes, or the ultimate authority on whether or not a certain action permissible, it is only fair to ask that we be holier than the Pope.
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 [email protected].