Tracy LaLonde of Joychiever. Courtesy photo

Lawyer Wellness

Most law firm partners don't wake up in the morning and say, "I'm going to be distrustful today and demotivate the heck out of the attorneys at my firm." And yet, many are doing exactly that when they get to work.

It's a tale as old as the legal industry, built on hierarchical structures and top-down decision-making. Examples include partners who insist on being informed of every trivial development and are overly critical about small details, those who dock pay if office attendance isn't up to par, those who publicly belittle associates in the spirit of "productive" feedback and partners who don't allow junior attorneys to make decisions about their own work.

This command-and-control style of management is present in many law firms—and while it may arguably have worked in the past, it's become increasingly ineffective as motivation, expectations and tolerance of associates have evolved. Using this model today is a surefire way to erode trust, confidence and eagerness by making attorneys feel micromanaged, anxious and unsupported.