I know, I know - tacky title, but I'm attempting to inject a little levity into a rather serious subject, namely how to kindly move legal secretaries, legal assistants or paralegals to other partners and/or associates within the law firm.

It's been surprising to me over the years how little communication flows between the attorneys and the staff while a change or "switchover” of personnel is being considered.

How do we improve the communication and do we really need to?

Let's consider the following:

What is the real reason for the desired change in personnel?

1. Personality conflict?

2. Does your assistant just not "get” your humor?

3. Is your assistant better suited for another area of law? Perhaps you hired what you thought was an experienced litigation assistant only to find out that when the trial prep begins, the stress of it all is completely overwhelming to him or her.

4. Or, because of lean times, you need to assign two to three attorneys to one assistant instead of a one-to-one ratio.

Whatever the reason for the change, and this is important - how you make the change will either enhance or detract from your reputation with your staff and with those in your community. Is your reputation as an employer important to you? It should be.

Let me explain.

Word travels fast in the community when an employee is mistreated and handled like a cow in a herd of cattle (hence, the title). If this type of non-communication on the part of your firm is consistent, you will slowly begin to see a lack of qualified candidates at your door. They will avoid you like the plague, I promise you.

And once the word is out among the community, you can expect to be the brunt of many, many not so private jokes by some of your close colleagues.

How do you handle a "switchover” in personnel with dignity and equanimity?

It's easier than you might think.

First things, first though.

If you've ever read any of the books regarding TQM (Total Quality Management), you'll understand the following scenario.

Visualize yourself walking up to a hostess station at a well known restaurant in town. You're ready to enjoy your evening. In fact, you are committed to it. You can visualize the wine, the tender morsels of steak. You've made your reservation and arrived early. But, wait....what's wrong with this picture? The hostess is engaged in an in-depth conversation with her co-worker and totally ignores you. She ignores your needs. In fact, she couldn't care less whether you eat tonight or not. She has a personal problem and for right now, that takes the front burner. Not you. Feel a little angry? Invisible? A non-entity?

Welcome to your assistant's world.

Moral of the story?

Treat your employee like a valued customer. Radical? Not really. In fact, it's very good "old school”. Smart employers understand this concept.

Understand that your assistant simply wants respect. Of course, bonuses and raises are a nice "extra”, but in my estimation, "respect” tops the list.

Even if for some reason you need to make a personnel change, the manner in which you orchestrate this change is vitally important. Take the high road. Treat your assistant as if she or he really matters. Employ the lost art of courtesy.

Now, here's my promise. You, the attorney, do not have to explain the "switchover” to your assistant. I can hear a loud sigh of relief.

When a change is in the works and it just cannot be avoided, have your Office Manager sit down with the employee and explain the details very early in the process. There may be tears and sometimes a little hostility. But at the very least, the employee deserves to be spoken to with respect BEFORE the change is made. BEFORE the news of the change makes it through the internal grapevine.