I’m relatively new to managing junior associates, and I’ve now run into the same issue with a couple of juniors that I genuinely don’t know how to handle.
They’ll be given an assignment with a clear deadline, and then… nothing. No communication that they’re slammed. No heads-up that they don’t understand the assignment. No request for an extension. Just total radio silence. And then when I follow up, the work either isn’t done or, in some cases, apparently wasn’t even started.
I’ve tried breaking assignments down into smaller components and setting interim deadlines/check-ins. But they’ll blow those deadlines too.
I’m genuinely baffled by this. I would never have dreamed of simply blowing off an assignment as a junior. If I was struggling with bandwidth or didn’t understand something, I just reached out to the assigning attorney for clarification or asked for their help in prioritizing competing deadlines. I would have been terrified of missing the deadline without telling anyone.
So, Reddit: how do you actually get juniors to turn work in on time? Is this a training/management issue on my end? Do you have a particular system for setting expectations and following up? And at what point do you just give up on a junior and either find another or do it yourself?