Fraught With Peril
Those of you who have participated in my Power of Professional Protocol program have heard me use the phrase “fraught with peril.” Fraught with peril. How often do you say this phrase during the course of the day? Probably never, but I’m willing to bet that you do engage in at least one very dangerous activity.
Which activity is this? Why, e-mail of course.
In Boston we were recently regaled with the forwarded e-mail thread entitled “Bla, Bla, Bla” which took place between attorneys William A. Korman and Dianna L. Abdala. The Boston Globe covered the story in 2 e-mailers get testy, and hundreds read every word. It succinctly and precisely illustrates some of the dangers when communication takes place via e-mail. Let us dissect this e-mail for its obvious and not so obvious faux pas.
E-mail one ~
From: Dianna Abdala [mailto: dabdala@msn.com]
Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 9:23 PM
To: wak@kormanlaw.com
Subject: Thank you
Dear Attorney Korman,
At this time, I am writing to inform you that I will not be accepting your offer.
After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the pay you are offering would neither fulfill me nor support the lifestyle I am living in light of the work I would be doing for you. I have decided instead to work for myself, and reap 100% of the benefits that I sew.
Thank you for the interviews.
Dianna L. Abdala, Esq.
E-mail two ~
From: William A. Korman
To: 'Dianna Abdala'
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 12:15 PM
Subject: RE: Thank you
Dianna -
Given that you had two interviews, were offered and accepted the job (indeed, you had a definite start date), I am surprised that you chose an e-mail and a 9:30 PM voicemail message to convey this information to me. It smacks of immaturity and is quite unprofessional. Indeed, I did rely upon your acceptance by ordering stationary and business cards with your name, reformatting a computer and setting up both internal and external e-mails for you here at the office. While I do not quarrel with your reasoning, I am extremely disappointed in the way this played out. I sincerely wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
- Will Korman
E-mail three ~
From: Dianna Abdala [mailto: dabdala@msn.com]
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 4:01 PM
To: William A. Korman
Subject: Re: Thank you
A real lawyer would have put the contract into writing and not exercised any such reliance until he did so.
Again, thank you.
E-mail four ~
From: William A. Korman
To: 'Dianna Abdala'
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 4:18 PM
Subject: RE: Thank you
Thank you for the refresher course on contracts. This is not a bar exam question. You need to realize that this is a very small legal community, especially the criminal defense bar. Do you really want to start pissing off more experienced lawyers at this early stage of your career?
E-mail five ~
From: Dianna Abdala [mailto: dabdala@msn.com]
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 4:29 PM
To: William A. Korman
Subject: Re: Thank you
bla bla bla
E-mail six ~
From: William A. Korman [mailto: wak@kormanlaw.com]
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 7:59 AM
To: 'David Breen'
Subject: FW: Thank you
Did I already forward this to you?
What can we learn from Dianna’s and Will’s mistakes? Well, quite a bit.
- When offered a position, do not accept or reject it until you have an offer letter in writing. (Any attorney worth their weight will tell you a verbal offer is worth the paper on which it is written!)
- When declining a previously accepted position, it is best to do so in a conversation rather than in an e-mail.
- When you receive an upsetting e-mail, wait at least 24 hours before responding.
- When it is apparent that an e-mail conversation has digressed, just delete it. Do not respond in anger.
- When writing an e-mail, presume it can and will be forwarded to others. Be very aware of what you write.
- E-mail is, in fact, fraught with peril.
- Lastly, please remember, that no matter what, two rudes do not make a right!