In-House Counsel

When It’s Your Time To Go, Make The Right Lasting Impression

Even if you switch companies, there is a fair chance you will inevitably cross paths with your past colleagues in the future. Don’t give them a reason to think poorly of you.

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It is common knowledge that your first few weeks on a new job are of critical importance.

They set the stage for how your new colleagues will view you, possibly, for years to come. Go in early. Stay late. Never say no to a new assignment. Be dependable. Thousands of pages have been authored on this topic alone, but precious few have been written on how to spend your waning days on the job before you make the leap to a new company or firm.

Whether they caught a spring fever or were just sick of working with me, an equally likely option, two attorneys on our in-house team recently set off for new roles outside our company.

Painting broadly, I would say they were both viewed favorably amongst their colleagues and were both valued for their work product. All of their colleagues were sad to see them both go and wished they could stick around longer.

But within weeks of announcing their departures, their respective favorability ratings began to shift, and fast.

Lawyer 1 worked until her last day with the same gusto she approached her first week on the job. She finished out all of her assignments, found new homes for her active cases, and even sent out calendar invitations for upcoming key dates to serve as a reminder to her colleagues for after she had left. She arranged to clean out her office after hours so as not to disrupt her colleagues during the day and left it in spotless condition.

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Needless to say, every time one of her colleagues comes across one of her invitation reminders on their calendar, they smile and reminisce of just how great it was to work with Lawyer 1.

Lawyer 2 took the opposite, and I would argue, the more typical approach to his exit. Within days of announcing his departure, his senioritis set in. Deadlines for assignments turned into mere suggested completion dates. Contracts which used to take days for him to review as he pored over each word and clause now were lucky to get an hour of his time. And when he left, he didn’t even bother to take the contents of what I can only assume was his snack drawer with him.

The time it took his stock to depreciate after his departure would make even Enron blush.

When it’s your time to go, be like Lawyer 1. If you haven’t already noticed, the legal community is small. Even if you switch companies, or move to a different state altogether, there is a fair chance you will inevitably cross paths with your past colleagues in the future. Make sure you leave them with the right lasting impression.

I recognize the above is not new or novel advice, but given my recent experience, it bears worth repeating.

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To paraphrase a well-known quote, your colleagues may soon forget what you said, but they will never forget the amount of junk you left in your desk or how much work you let slip and left behind once you left.

If your spring cleaning list includes finding a new job, even if you hate your current one, make sure you leave with the right lasting impression.

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].

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