By Murray Gottheil | October 10, 2024
Let’s talk about deadlines. Here are two quotes to get started:
From Douglas Adams, we give you the light-hearted associate’s perspective: “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
Don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security, because the truth comes from Amit Kalantri, who said: “A professional who doesn’t deliver as committed is not just lazy, he is a liar.”
So what has me thinking about deadlines? Certainly not retirement, which is blessedly deadline-light. No, it is an associate who told me that she had missed a deadline. After a bit of discussion, it became apparent that no one had taken the time to explain Murray’s Deadline Rules for Associates to her. So, once again, it falls to me to educate the young folks. Here is how it works:
- Every task has a deadline. If the partner does not give you one, ask for it;
- When you are given an unreasonable deadline, ask why it is important and then proceed to number 3, 4 or 5 below;
- If there is a real business reason for the deadline that is important to the client, suck it up and get it done if at all possible;
- If it is impossible to suck it up and get it done, explain why you cannot get it done. If it is truly impossible for you to meet the deadline and the partner insists anyway, start looking for another job. Things are not going to get better;
- If there is no good reason for the deadline, propose a new one that you can make. If the partner is not flexible, or the client is unreasonable and the partner does not have your back, start looking for another job. Things are not going to get better;
- Once you have agreed to a deadline, move heaven and earth to make your deadline. Every. Single. Time;
- If the universe conspires to make it impossible to make a deadline that you agreed to, do not, ever, ever, ever, let the deadline go by without first communicating to the partner or the client as soon as it becomes clear that you are going to miss it. There is a possible exception if you are in a coma, and even then, immediately upon coming out of the coma, call the partner or client and apologize;
- No, it is not okay to miss a deadline as long as you get the work done before the partner asks about it.
Rules 7 and 8 may require some explanation. I was a partner once. I was very busy with a full slate of client lunches to attend. I delegated to three clerks, two associates, a law student, and a legal assistant. I did not always remember what I delegated to whom, or what the deadlines were. The last thing that I wanted was a call from a client asking why I had missed a deadline. If a deadline was going to be missed, I wanted to hear about it early so that I could do one of the following:
- Call the client and get the deadline extended; or
- Delegate the work to someone else; or
- (God forbid) Do the work myself.
Now that you know the rules, don’t screw up again!
Murray is a happily retired lawyer who lives in the country, drives a pick-up truck, writes, teaches and mentors. You can reach him at [email protected] or see what he is up to at lawanddisorderinc.com.
RELATED STORIES
Keep it Simple, Start With the Statute, Stupid
I’ll Tell You What He Didn’t Do