The firm's top biller was also its biggest problem, fixed without losing them
Brilliant with clients, difficult with colleagues, and everyone knew it was being tolerated.
Law firm · around 20 employees
The situation
A top-performing fee-earner consistently brought in the best results but treated colleagues poorly: dismissive, short-tempered, and visibly above the rules. Good people had quietly started to look elsewhere because of what was being tolerated.
Why it was difficult
The owner was frightened of losing the revenue. But the team had clocked that being good at the job bought a pass on behaviour, and that was the real, growing cost.
What Samantha did
Separated the performance from the behaviour, and named the behaviour clearly
Set direct, specific expectations through a structured conversation, not a formal process first
Made clear what needed to change, and what would happen if it did not
Supported the owner to hold the line without losing the person
What it could have cost
The owner was protecting the revenue. Meanwhile the team had worked out that billing well bought a pass on behaviour, and the good people were the ones most likely to leave over it.
The outcome
The behaviour changed. The fee-earner stayed, the team settled, and the owner stopped losing good people to something entirely avoidable.
Behaviour fixed. Biller kept. Team kept.
What this means for you
Tolerating bad behaviour from your best people is what costs you your other good people. You can keep the performance and fix the behaviour, if it is handled right.
Anonymised. Sector, names and identifying details have been removed or changed. Outcomes reflect the specific circumstances of each case and are not a guarantee of any particular result.
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