WORDS FROM THE WISE
nally, I delegate all documentation
that is standard in our customer
relationship management and con-
tract management systems to our
contract administrator. Overall,
delegation is determined by my
availability to accomplish the tasks
at hand within a reasonable time.
Melissa Redmon: It is difficult to
delegate, especially for prosecutors,
as prosecutors approach each case
as being their own, yet with our bur-
geoning work load, delegating work
is crucial. The “trust and verify”
system, however, is very effective:
trust someone to work on a case,
but then, verify their work. If there
are any questions, the attorneys will
always be there to answer them.
Ryan Walsh: Delegation is one of
the most difficult tasks for a lawyer
to master. It is absolutely critical for
providing efficient legal services and
to the development of strong asso-
ciates and staff. The key is knowing
when you’re putting someone in a
position to succeed – even when it’s
slightly out of their comfort zone –
and when you’re setting them up to
fail. Always be mindful of the latter,
but try to default toward the former.
5)
What are your go-to ways
to show your support staff you ap-
preciate their hard work?
28
November 2018
Marty Ellin: When I am doing my
job right, we are careful to take time
to celebrate the good things. Indi-
vidually, I look for opportunities
to acknowledge strong work by
speaking to my colleague and by
writing notes affirming my sense
of her/his value to our operation.
I also sometimes share among all
staff notes of particularly strong
individual efforts. We also make
sure the all-staff meetings involve
food, birthday cakes and cards and
the like, and several times a year
there is a group outing.
Christina McCoy: I say or write a
thank you for each and every task
completed on my behalf that I
send to the employees and/or their
managers. I love Starbucks, so I fre-
quently have a coffee or gift card
on their desk. I also try to show ap-
preciation by bringing in breakfast
or lunch for the office.
Melissa Redmon: Never underesti-
mate the power of please and thank
you. Show your appreciation for
what they do, and verbalize your
appreciation. If they have worked
especially hard, offer and give them
the morning or day off or buy them
lunch. People appreciate the small
things. If everyone feels valued and
appreciated, efficient and hard work
comes naturally.
Ryan Walsh: Booze. More seri-
ously, constantly try to reinforce the
team mindset with team meetings,
lunches, and other social gather-
ings. And take those opportuni-
ties to show the team how much
you appreciate their hard work and
support.
Editorial Board Member Erik Pro-
vitt (AVLF) interviewed Marty Ellin.
Student Liaisons Heather Marie
Kuhn (3L, Georgia State Univer-
sity) and Holly van den Toorn (3L,
Georgia State University) gathered
responses from Christina McCoy;
and, Student Liaison Christian
Zimm (2L, Emory) interviewed
Melissa Redmon.