So what happens afterwards. When rationality has returned and the adrenalin fuelled rage has subsided? Dilemma time.

The trigger:

Bitter Lawyer: Okay, so I think I just ruined my career. In short, I told a partner to “F*** off.” Yes, I actually used the F-word.

To make a long story short, Douchebag Partner (hereafter referred to as “DBP”), told me to draft a Promissory Note (a small part of a much larger transaction) and send it off to the client for his approval. DBP gave me all the specific details—terms, interest rate, etc… He also gave me “the perfect precedent” to use. In other words, all I had to do was fill in the blanks, make a few simple, conforming changes, and send it to the client. And that’s what I did. Unfortunately, DBP gave me the wrong terms. The principal amount was 86 million, not 76 million. The client got pissed and sent DBP a bitchy email. So DBP threw me under the bus and blamed the mistake on the new, careless associate. To cover his lie, he stormed into my office and yelled at me so everyone could hear how reckless and negligent I am.

At this point most associates would just take a deep breath and allow the poison of resentment to circulate their brain for the rest of the day before writing it off as another bitter learning experience. Just another negative notch on the bedpost of law firm politics. But not this chap, far from it. Check out what happened next at Bitter Lawyer and decide big balls? or big balls up? Perhaps even offer some advice yourself.