Module 6

Bad news up, down and sideways: to supervisors, to juniors, to colleagues and in the open

Much of the bad news in a law firm or legal department is never seen by a client. A junior has made an error. A partner has taken on more than the team can do. A pitch has been lost, a budget cut, a promotion refused, a colleague’s work found wanting, a team restructured. The people who give and receive this news work together every day, and often have to keep working together, so the way it is done shapes the working culture. In a profession where mistakes can be costly, a culture in which people hide problems is dangerous: the problem grows until it can no longer be hidden. This module covers giving bad news upwards (to a supervisor or partner), downwards (to a junior or a direct report) and sideways (to peers), with attention to the particular care needed when someone’s job or career is affected. It deals with legal duties only in outline, because employment law differs widely, and refers you to the rules that apply where you work. It overlaps with Supervising and Giving Feedback, the next course in the series, and with Leading a Legal Team. All the people are invented.

General education on giving bad news and handling difficult conversations, using invented people, firms and matters. It is not legal advice, and it does not state the professional rules, employment law or insurance requirements of any country. Those differ and change: check the rules that apply to you and take advice.