Career Clinic: Should I speak up about a dreadful partner hire?

In all likelihood, if he's pulled the wool over your firm's eyes then they're not going to listen to a word you say.

IReallyHateBPP -15 Oct 2009 | 12:06

If you can stick to what you actually know about him and things you can support, for example, stating that he is difficult to work for and that this had resulted in bad feeling in the team you were previously a member of or giving specific examples of how his bad traits played out in particular situations, then you should speak to someone senior. I would only do this if there is a senior person you can approach who knows you and will therefore trust what you say. You can't possibly know the clients that he now has or what his billings are, so I'd stay away from comments on his financial worth. It is also probable that your firm will hire him anyway, so speaking to one senior person who you trust is definitely the way forward rather than openly badmouthing the guy.

Anon -15 Oct 2009 | 13:09

Having been in the industry for some time, it still staggers me some of the people who get hired as partners. You'd think by the time they're on to their third gig the hiring firm would have cottoned on, but apparently not.

Anonymous -15 Oct 2009 | 15:13

Do your partners know that you have worked with this candidate before? If so, have they consulted you, even informally?

If the answers to these questions are 'Yes' and 'No' respectively, I would assume that your views will not influence them enough to stop the hire (even if you volunteer them).

That being the case, I would definitely keep quiet. Unless you feel you can actually stop the hire, there is nothing you can say now that will make you look good or achieve a positive result.

Anon -15 Oct 2009 | 15:44

Working for a bad partner can be a real pain. In fact, it can ruin an otherwise perfectly enjoyable practice.

Is your employer aware that you have worked together before? Surely they have twigged that you both have the same ex-employer on your CVs? Are you sufficiently well known to your seniors to be asked such confidential questions about potential new partner-level recruits?

If the answer to any of those questions is 'no', then if this new guy is as bad as he sounds, I would recommend that you begin looking for an internal transfer or a new position elsewhere.

Pipps -15 Oct 2009 | 18:34

Say something if they ask you

If your superiors ask you for your views, then you should speak up. If they have not, then that is probably because they are not particularly interested in them. I was once in a similar situation at a previous firm. A partner asked me what I thought about a proposed partner hire and I gave a frank response. The firm hired him anyway and, within a year, he was booted out. Partners rarely listen to associates on such matters, so it's probably better for you not to rock the boat.

HH -16 Oct 2009 | 10:43

What is the real problem?

I'm not sure you should necessarily stay quiet. It depends on what the real problem is. If it is just that the new hire is an idiot, awful to work for, won't fit in etc, no-one in authority will want to hear your view because it calls into question their judgement. But if you can say with some honesty that he is unlikely to have much of a client following, then your superiors may well be interested because that is just the sort of thing that partners have to take on trust when interviewing lateral hires. And the worst thing would be if a year down the line and he's been thrown out, someone corners you and says "why didn't you tell us?".

Insurance Claims Man -16 Oct 2009 | 14:04

"I've just found out that the firm is planning to hire.."

As someone who used to be involved with lateral hires, such decisions usually become general knowledge only after the whole DD process is over and the partners have voted in favour of hiring the candidate.
Not sure if there is anything you can do at this stage. If he is being hired it means that the senior/managing partner is cool with him so you would eventually have to speak to them if you really think that your firm is making a mistake.

Anonymous -17 Oct 2009 | 12:07

I am in a situation where bad hires have already been made, and those who made the decision are obviously more interested in helping them out (probably to justify their hiring decision), than considering how to manage them out. It seems that the more senior someone becomes the more defensive they are, so it's probably not worth mentioning how bad the potential candidate is as it'll likely make the partners defensive at best rather than rethink their decision.

Anonymous -19 Oct 2009 | 16:23

Start looking for another job without delay.

If you leave, you will spare yourself the aggravation of working with him. If you really like the firm you could, in theory, try to go back if he gets turfed out in a year or two.

Anon -20 Oct 2009 | 14:23

My old firm hired a partner who (in my opinion) was a nightmare. Even when faced with the blindingly obvious about the problems caused by this partner, senior/managing partners were defensive and not prepared to do anything about it. I'm sure the problem partner knew that I had raised issues and I suffered as a result. In the end I left having waited for the situation to improve for too long. I now see nothing was ever going to change and jumping ship was the best thing I could have done - I just wish i had done it sooner. Had I stayed the said partner would have done what they could to hinder my career progression.

So no, don't say anything unless you have a new job in the bag to go to!

annonn -21 Oct 2009 | 17:31

If you are not as useless as he is, you will surely get hired by a better firm if he arrives at the firm with all his despicable tendencies, so there is really no point in worrying. All you can do is - if you have a rapport with a senior partner at the firm, you could unofficially make your views about the new hire known. The senior partner will certainly know how to use that information to benefit the firm. If he comes in, you either learn to work with him or request a transfer to another department, or even leave the firm.

However, who you have labelled as useless may not be useless from the viewpoint of the firm. I suspect you may have a problem with the man because he didn't like you on a personal level. You should also look within yourself and question why it is that you provoke the worst in this new hire. Maybe you should approach him and talk things out. At very unusual times, firms may have to hire unusual folks, so there may be a point in hiring him. You really must watch your attitude and your tongue.

segun ojemuyiwa Esq LL.M -26 Oct 2009 | 10:12

In your humble opinion

You were newly qualified when you worked with this partner, so your view is not that valuable, in the scheme of things. Yes, keep your mouth shut unless they ask you, and even then, be as diplomatic as possible with what you say. Remember, you don't know what that partner may have to say about you when you were an NQ.

Samuel Pink -27 Oct 2009 | 09:51

Even if you were junior when you previously worked with him, a bad egg in the system is a rotten egg at the partner level if it stays there. Unfortunately, the system does not easily remove the rotten eggs. You at least are forewarned, and leopards do not change their spots without shock treatment. I doubt the firm is hiring him for his client base, if he only has one client. Others will see through him quickly, if as a junior person you did too, because it was that obvious. Trust yourself 100% and everyone else by degrees.

ANON -29 Oct 2009 | 09:44

A difficult one. Hopefully he will be coming in as just a pretend [aka salaried] partner, in which case the proper partners might kick him into shape or even back out again!

Henry -30 Oct 2009 | 23:30