Should an Associate Ask a Coworker Out on Valentine's Day?
As you may or may not know, Valentine's Day is barely more than a week away. And as young, single associates, certain feelings of anxiety or pressure may be originating from a non-work source -- not having a date.
The workplace is a common place for new relationships to blossom, but should associates risk asking out their coworkers?
Finding a Date in the Office
We've broached the topic of lawyers finding love before. There are a number of apps which can help you find that special someone (even if just for the night), but what happens if you decide to fish in your firm's pool?
TV dramas like "L.A. Law" and "Ally McBeal" would have most of America believe that firm life is a non-stop carousel of mix-and-matching romantic combinations of co-workers until the series ends. However, the reality is a lot less glamorous, if possibly even more dramatic.
Just as we suggested when considering dating your law school peers, dating within the office can be playing with reputation fire. Because those you work with occupy a very intimate niche in the world of your career, dating a co-worker is very likely to stick with you -- for better or worse.
Like many employment attorneys tell their clients, dating in the office is a dangerous game, or your firm might even have a policy prohibiting it, so it might be better to view Valentine's Day as an out-of-work holiday.
Do You Really Want to Date a Lawyer?
Associates working in foxhole conditions often flirt with the idea of pairing off -- N.B. the titular "Good Wife" -- but do you really want to date another lawyer anyway?
True, our profession attracts ambitious, assertive personality types, but it may not make for scintillating dinner conversation if you're both butting heads. Non-lawyers might find it charming to listen to you argue for 15 minutes about why bisque is technically not a soup, but your legal peers might simply tune-out.
We know that a Valentine's Day date isn't exactly an invitation for a marriage proposal, but before asking a coworker out for V-Day, consider whether you and your potential date will even feel the romance if you spend all evening talking shop. Then again, love works in mysterious ways (like standing) and your future spouse might be working on a brief with you right now.
There's also the option to simply remain single on Valentine's Day, and for you independents, we offer this feline message.
Have some suggestions for intra-office dating? Tweet us @FindLawLP.
Related Resources:
- Be mindful of Cupid's poison arrow at the law firm (Plaintiff Magazine)
- Should a Lawyer Ever Date a Client? (FindLaw's Strategist)
- Three Things for Lonely Lawyers to do on Valentine's Day (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- Where to Find Law Love Online (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)