BCLP application question - need feedback

[BuddingLawyer]

Hi,
Regarding BCLP application question: " Imagine you are a trainee at BCLP and you have been working on a task for an associate in the Finance department. The associate is away and a partner in the department urgently wants a summary note of the research to send to a client, and has asked you to send it to them by tomorrow morning. How would you react? " I am thinking of following approach:

- Is it fair to assume that the tasks given by the associate and partner are NOT related to each other ?
- Is it fair to assume associate is my immediate supervisor ?
- If so, how to establish the priority of the two tasks? If I call/email the associate and he/she does not respond, how do I establish that the original task given by associate is NOT MORE important than the ones given by the partner ?
- Since associate did not give morning deadline, can I de-prioritise it ?
- How do law firms expect you to handle this ? Should I simply have a frank chat with the partner and let him take a call ? What if he/she has no clue of what the associate has given me?
Should I ask around to other folks in the department if they know which is high priority ?

In general assuming the ambiguity exists, I was going to approach along the following lines:
Step 1: Have a quick chat with the partner and understand scope of his task. If I can finish both tasks in time (even with some stretch), problem solved. Contact associate and call/email to say I have additional task but original task deadline wont suffer
Step 2: If partner task requires massive time effort jeopardizing the original task deadline, I will Call/email associate as well as discuss with partner. Ideally take them both on a conference call. If associate not reachable, collective decision taken in consultation with the partner and other department folks to see if anyone else can step up.
Step 3: If no one can step up than make an assumption that since client deadline is tomorrow morning (and supervisor has not given aggressive deadline), prioritize partner task and send email to supervisor
Step 4: Deliver to client and then resume original task of associate

Please feel free to comment on approach. Have I made fair assumptions ?

Thanks

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi,
Regarding BCLP application question: " Imagine you are a trainee at BCLP and you have been working on a task for an associate in the Finance department. The associate is away and a partner in the department urgently wants a summary note of the research to send to a client, and has asked you to send it to them by tomorrow morning. How would you react? " I am thinking of following approach:

- Is it fair to assume that the tasks given by the associate and partner are NOT related to each other ?
- Is it fair to assume associate is my immediate supervisor ?
- If so, how to establish the priority of the two tasks? If I call/email the associate and he/she does not respond, how do I establish that the original task given by associate is NOT MORE important than the ones given by the partner ?
- Since associate did not give morning deadline, can I de-prioritise it ?
- How do law firms expect you to handle this ? Should I simply have a frank chat with the partner and let him take a call ? What if he/she has no clue of what the associate has given me?
Should I ask around to other folks in the department if they know which is high priority ?

In general assuming the ambiguity exists, I was going to approach along the following lines:
Step 1: Have a quick chat with the partner and understand scope of his task. If I can finish both tasks in time (even with some stretch), problem solved. Contact associate and call/email to say I have additional task but original task deadline wont suffer
Step 2: If partner task requires massive time effort jeopardizing the original task deadline, I will Call/email associate as well as discuss with partner. Ideally take them both on a conference call. If associate not reachable, collective decision taken in consultation with the partner and other department folks to see if anyone else can step up.
Step 3: If no one can step up than make an assumption that since client deadline is tomorrow morning (and supervisor has not given aggressive deadline), prioritize partner task and send email to supervisor
Step 4: Deliver to client and then resume original task of associate

Please feel free to comment on approach. Have I made fair assumptions ?

Thanks

1) I think most people read it as the tasks are connected (the wording is not completely clear though)

2) I don’t think this makes much difference to the answer, but I would make clear whether you have made the assumption they are your supervisor or not in your writing.

3) the associate is away - assume you can’t contact them. Think about what/who else you could get guidance from

 

[AndreaMartins]

Hi,
Regarding BCLP application question: " Imagine you are a trainee at BCLP and you have been working on a task for an associate in the Finance department. The associate is away and a partner in the department urgently wants a summary note of the research to send to a client, and has asked you to send it to them by tomorrow morning. How would you react? " I am thinking of following approach:

- Is it fair to assume that the tasks given by the associate and partner are NOT related to each other ?
- Is it fair to assume associate is my immediate supervisor ?
- If so, how to establish the priority of the two tasks? If I call/email the associate and he/she does not respond, how do I establish that the original task given by associate is NOT MORE important than the ones given by the partner ?
- Since associate did not give morning deadline, can I de-prioritise it ?
- How do law firms expect you to handle this ? Should I simply have a frank chat with the partner and let him take a call ? What if he/she has no clue of what the associate has given me?
Should I ask around to other folks in the department if they know which is high priority ?

In general assuming the ambiguity exists, I was going to approach along the following lines:
Step 1: Have a quick chat with the partner and understand scope of his task. If I can finish both tasks in time (even with some stretch), problem solved. Contact associate and call/email to say I have additional task but original task deadline wont suffer
Step 2: If partner task requires massive time effort jeopardizing the original task deadline, I will Call/email associate as well as discuss with partner. Ideally take them both on a conference call. If associate not reachable, collective decision taken in consultation with the partner and other department folks to see if anyone else can step up.
Step 3: If no one can step up than make an assumption that since client deadline is tomorrow morning (and supervisor has not given aggressive deadline), prioritize partner task and send email to supervisor
Step 4: Deliver to client and then resume original task of associate

Please feel free to comment on approach. Have I made fair assumptions ?

Thanks

I'm assuming if the associate is away ,you cant contact him. If im away i wouldnt like to be contacted and i would assume people would see it that way.I mean tahts how it usually works, you don't contact people who are away unless its extremely urgent.I wouldn't consider this that urgent

 

[BuddingLawyer]

I'm assuming if the associate is away ,you cant contact him. If im away i wouldnt like to be contacted and i would assume people would see it that way.I mean tahts how it usually works, you don't contact people who are away unless its extremely urgent.I wouldn't consider this that urgent

Thank you