Head over Heart
Eleanor Roosevelt once said ‘To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart’. Law firm leaders use their heads when tackling the challenges of generating income and targets set when COVID was a twinkle in a bat’s eye. It’s unfair and short-sighted not to use the heart when handling juniors responsible for achieving those targets.
Body language is difficult to interpret on Zoom. Being ‘on-screen’ creates a disconnect. Wellbeing is hard to read when we are busy in the office. Herculean effort is required to identify issues when busy working remotely. This poses a regulatory and reputational risk for supervisors. Mistakes lead to cover-ups, and cover-ups lead to the prosecution of the employee and, potentially, the firm.
The Divisional Court’s decision in SRA v James & Others highlights the issues arising when junior solicitors are unsupported and supervision lacks sensitivity. In James, the firm’s culture was described by Lord Justice Flaux as ‘toxic and uncaring’. This is not how we want our firms to be remembered post-COVID.
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Susan Humble is a regulatory partner at RIAA Barker Gillette with an acute understanding of regulators and disciplinary boards. Susan helps professionals to pre-empt regulatory intervention and to navigate investigations. Speak to Susan today.
Note: This is not legal advice; it provides information of general interest about current legal issues.