Treating Administrative Staff Poorly
Treating support staff poorly is a fast ticket out of town. Having legal secretaries, paralegals, and other staff supporting and working well with you is essential to being a successful lawyer.
Remember, most of these folks have seen people like you come and go over the years. They have long memories and are good at pattern recognition. You will pay for the sins of your predecessors who didn't behave properly. Some of them will have chips on their shoulders regarding new lawyers with shiny new degrees. Many will rightfully deserve to have these chips given how they've been treated in the past.What do you do to work effectively with support staff? Communicate with them. These are smart and professional people who want to feel like they are part of the team. They don't like surprises any more than you do. Communicate. We would suggest giving more details than you might think necessary, as you might be surprised that they know a lot more than you and can make you look great on an assignment.
You should also support and defend your support staff. If something goes wrong, never call them out in public. Take them behind closed doors and provide constructive criticism. If they do something great, feel free to praise in public.
Remember, these people work for multiple attorneys, so being organized, friendly, and inclusive will make them want to work for you as opposed to others who don't treat them this way. In short, by treating these staff positions as partners you will work effectively and buy some good karma for down the road when you need it.