The typical rules of office etiquette apply to all law firms, government offices and public interest organizations. This summer, use common sense and take care to abide by the organization’s written and spoken policies. Act in a professional manner at all times. The following guidelines are derived from feedback communicated to the Career Center by legal employers.
Be On Time: Arrive at work on time or early. Account for typical traffic delays when planning your commute.
Internet Usage: Do not use work computers or internet access to visit any web sites unless it is work related. Some employers record internet usage – both time on-line and sites visited. Remember, if you connect your personal phone or device to the organization’s Wi-Fi, the sites you visit will be visible to your employer. If your organization gives you a phone for the summer, the phone should be used strictly for business purposes. Do not use it to make personal calls, maintain personal records, send personal emails, browse the internet for non-work related purposes, or download apps that are not required by the organization.
Personal Phones: Put your personal phone away when you are at the office or social events. Do not use social media during work hours. You do not want your employer to discover that you are posting on Facebook or Instagram when you are supposed to be working on a brief. While we are on the topic, double check your social media privacy settings. Google yourself. Make sure that whatever is discoverable from a Google search is something you are comfortable with your new colleagues seeing. Think twice before connecting with your new colleagues on social media.
Email Etiquette: Carefully read all emails you receive. Read all outgoing emails at least twice before hitting send. Consider the tone of your email – could it be interpreted by the receiver as unprofessional? Use spellcheck. Do not send any email that you would not want any other employees at the organization to see. Be very careful of hitting “Reply All” or forwarding emails to the entire organization that should not be forwarded. Do not use your work email for personal matters. Remember, the emails you send will likely live for years on the organization’s server and may be housed on a document management system that is searchable by everyone in the organization.
Earbuds and Headphones: Do not use earbuds or headphones in the office. As an intern and new attorney, it is important to be approachable and engaged. Listening to music, whether through speakers, earbuds or headphones, sends the message that you do not want to be disturbed. Use of earbuds and headphones by other attorneys at the organization is not a signal that such use is permissible by interns.
Voicemails and Call Logs: The voicemails that you receive and leave will likely be preserved. Most organizations archive voicemail messages and/or transcribe voicemail messages into emails. Keep in mind that even after you delete a voicemail from your office phone and delete the email transcription, the contents of that message will likely live forever on your employer’s data servers. Further, a log of ingoing and outgoing calls will also be preserved. Be selective when giving out your office phone number. Your friends and family should use your personal phone and not your office line. In order to avoid unnecessary pauses, “ahs” and “ums,” and other ramblings, before placing a call, map out the message you will leave if that attorney does not pick up your call.
Vacations: Because you are there for the summer only, do not assume that you will have any days off. Try to schedule personal vacation time either before or after the term of your summer internship. If you need to take days off, either for personal reasons or to participate in interviewing, let the administrator or program coordinator know as soon as possible. If you have a good reason, most employers will give you a few days off (e.g., wedding, big family event). It is a good gesture to offer to make up the time or forego pay for those days (if your internship is paid); in most cases they will pay you anyway. In the event you are taking time off for interviewing, carefully consider how you will make the request, and contact the Career Center if you want to brainstorm. In some cases, it is sensible to simply be generic: “I have a personal commitment on July 23 that I cannot reschedule, would it be possible to take the day off? I would be happy to extend my summer term to cover this time.”
Confidentiality: Understand your employer’s confidentiality requirements. Never discuss a client or client matter outside of an attorney’s office. Be especially careful in the halls, elevators, restrooms, restaurants, and other public places. Ask for approval before using any work product as a writing sample. Remember, your confidentiality obligation does not end when your summer internship is over.
Conflicts: Keep a list of clients for whom you do work. You will need it if you go to another employer in the future. Of course, you will need to ask your current employer before you disclose any information, but it will make future legwork easier.
Out of Office: If possible, make sure to tell your assistant and/or the receptionist when you leave office. That way if someone is looking for you, they will know you are out. If you will be out of the office for an entire day, put an out of office notice on your email, and be sure to inform the attorneys with whom you are working.
To view previous tips click HERE. To few the Successful Summer Handbook in it’s entirety click HERE. To view summer recruiting important dates click HERE.