Discrimination, and a lesson learnt

The Linklaters Christmas Party was last night, and temps were not invited! Did you hear what I said? TEMPS WERE NOT INVITED TO THE CHRISTMAS PARTY!! I had never felt so discriminated against. As a middle-class white male I can’t specifically remember the last time I was discriminated against, but that is beside the point.

I was only slightly mollified when my supervisor - who had drawn the short straw and had to work - produced some “appropriated” wine and beer from an ad hoc liquor cabinet, better known as the stationary cupboard.

I was therefore able to enjoy an (average) glass of red whilst undergoing yet another evaluation. The defining characteristic of my evaluations thus far is that while I have a habit of occasionally missing the obvious, for example, a comma that should be a semi-colon, I am rather good at spotting more complex issues such as defined terms that have been misused in the document. Its almost as though I was a lawyer, not a proofreader!

What I am not so good at is remembering that I am not to take it upon myself do any significant redrafting of the document. By that I only mean a little minor rewording, not serious legal redrafting. Not only isn’t it my job but the lawyers can apparently get a bit shirty. “We’re not paid enough to worry”, my Deputy Team Leader matter-of-factly informed me.

That was just after she had pulled me up for a comment I made in the margin of a document. The drafting lawyer had applied two different legal tests in similar circumstances, one of which would have left the other party with some wriggle room, I merely drew this to their attention. I thought that I was being polite, apparently it came off as a bit pompous. It seems in such circumstances just because I know the difference doesn’t mean that I should the lawyer know that I know. I especially shouldn’t let the lawyer think that I think they don’t know the difference. Obviously.