Describe news stories in which a subordinate had an ethical obligation to express a different opinion from his or her supervisor.

Assignment – Advocating for Yourself

Paralegals need not only strong research, analytical, and writing skills. They also need good interpersonal skills. As a paralegal you will work with people of many different backgrounds. You will need the skills to relate to clients from all walks of life. On occasion, you may also need to stand up for your position with your supervising attorney or other staff. For this assignment, you will discuss a scenario involving a paralegal who is put in a difficult situation by his supervising attorney and identify how he should handle himself in the situation.

Toms supervising attorney gives him a form for the citations in a trial brief he helped prepare. The form is not what the court specifically requires, but the attorney ignores his hints concerning the issue and says, This has always been good enough for the courts before. Tom is concerned about irritating the court and hurting the clients position. What should he do?

1. Answer the following questions:
a. How can the paralegal handle the situation with tact, diplomacy, and assertive behaviors?
b. How should Tom respond to his supervisor?
c. Have you ever been in a situation where you had an ethical obligation to assert your opinion to a person in an authoritative position? How did you handle it?
d. Describe news stories in which a subordinate had an ethical obligation to express a different opinion from his or her supervisor. What happened?
e. Describe a news story where an employee went along with his supervisors actions and did not fulfill his ethical obligation. What happened? What were the repercussions?
f. Would you respond differently if the disagreement was with another paralegal as opposed to your supervising attorney? Why or why not?

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