Background:
Last week one Jewish associate left our firm. He joined our firm one year later than I and seemed to be a nice, decent lawyer. Recently rumor said that he often disappeared from his office; did not return calls from clients and some partners; missed a few work deadlines; pissed off his legal assistant; and hence received a scalding letter from a partner putting him on probation in late April. One incident was that he scheduled a meeting with a senior associate, but did not show up on time, nor gave an advance notice for his absence. Needless to say, the senior associated was furious. It was unfortunate that his performance in the last few months did not convince the management that he should be retained. But the writing was on the wall.
Lessons learned:
1) Always check and return emails/calls from the clients and partners within a 24-hour window (1-hour window would be better)
2) Work with your legal assistant and prioritize your work according to your docket
3) Never miss a hard deadline