One of the many typical personalities you encounter as a Cog in Big Law Land is Mr. Big Law Boss Man, or in some cases, Ms. Big Law Boss Lady. You might think these titles refer to actual bosses—like Chairmen of the Firm, founding members or powerful partners. But Mr. Boss Man and Ms. Boss Lady are titles that these Big Law lawyers give themselves in their minds regardless of their actual status as the “boss” of anyone. I like to think of this as a personality disorder—Boss Man Syndrome.

It is important for Cogs to recognize Boss Man Syndrome in their fellow Big Law attorneys because one of the symptoms of Boss Man syndrome is to compulsively identify “subordinates” to direct, lead, throw under the bus, dominate and overshadow. Those who suffer from Boss Man Syndrome also need to find others from whom they can take credit for their work because rarely are those afflicted by Boss Man Syndrome highly competent in their own right. Mr. Boss Man will take you down—beware.

Big Law's love for blind over-confidence and arrogance may even inflict this syndrome on otherwise normal lawyers. I find the Boss Man Syndrome most common among fellow Cogs and more junior partners. I suspect that is because those suffering from these delusions of self-importance can only hold up the façade for so long before a client or a more senior partner discovers they are all talk and no walk. But you must avoid being a victim of their rampage before they are discovered.

Spotting the afflicted

Mr. Boss Man and Ms. Boss Lady do not fool around. They can be spotted by their confident swagger, puffed-chest inflated by an air of self-importance and their adamant tone. They hold their heads high as they briskly walk the halls of Big Law on their way to an oh-so-important meeting.

But you must not confuse Mr. Boss Man or Ms. Boss Lady with a Gunner. They are a specialized subset of Gunner. Most Gunners have a wide arsenal of tools and skills to succeed at Big Law, including a charming personality and the ability to make fast friends and connections. Mr. Boss Man and Ms. Boss Lady also are gunning for the top, but they did not come to Big Law to make friends.

They came to get down to business. “It's business, it's business time …”

If you are working with Mr. Boss Man, look for the following signs. He will:

• delegate tasks to you even if you are more senior to him—“Cog No. 564, how about you go ahead and start the research memo, and I'll call the client to get more information about the deal”;

• have separate meetings with the partner in your absence where he relays and takes credit for the significant research finding you discovered and shared with him before completing your memo to the partner. “Partner, I think we can argue that the other side waived their claim for liquidated damages under Georgia law based on a recent case I was reading. I'll make sure Cog No. 564 adds that case to the his memo”;

• dominate all conference calls by talking louder and more adamantly than you, but adding nothing to the substance of the discussion. “Client, I agree” with everyone else who has already stated the same thing “that this issue is worth pursuing. ... I think we need to look into it in more detail, circle back around, put our heads together and formulate a strategy.” Right. Great idea!

• keep you out of the loop and make himself the point person for all issues of substance while simultaneously making you do all the hard work. I can't explain how this is done. It is a skill.

Adamant Ignorance

One of the worse manifestations of Boss Man Syndrome is Adamant Ignorance. When asked a question about a topic for which they have no substantive knowledge or basis for opinion, both Mr. Boss Man and Ms. Boss Lady will immediately pipe-up with a firmly held opinion. Let's illustrate with a non-legal example:

Coworker to Ms. Boss Lady at lunch: “Did you agree that Chris Allen was the best singer on 'American Idol' this past season?”

Ms. Boss Lady (who has never watched a single episode of that show or read or heard anything about the winner): “Absolutely! He really connected with the audience and performed well under pressure.”

Ms. Boss Lady and Mr. Boss Man will use this same strategy with clients on legal issues. They will answer a question adamantly and confidently and based on limited or no knowledge, using a safe generalization. But people love a confident responder, and they figure Ms. Boss Lady must know what she is saying given her clear conviction of opinion. If you sit there with your wishy-washy caveats and “well, I would need to look into that” responses, you will look ignorant and unprepared by comparison.

But do not fear. If you can survive or stay clear of those with Boss Man Syndrome, many of them will leave Big Law. Some will leave because they will get frustrated with the fact that others do not recognize their Boss worthiness and will leave because they were not promoted to Partner after their fifth year of practice. Others will leave in disgust after those silly Big Law partners give them a poor review for actually performing below standards: “Those silly partners are just jealous of my superior intellect.” Still others will leave to go in-house where they can impart their wisdom to boardrooms.

Of course, a few others manage to go on to become real bosses. And well, that is just what you have to deal with at Big Law. “It's business, it's business time …”

Do you have dirt to dish? Do you have a column idea? Or do you just need to vent in six-minute increments? Email the Snark at snarkatlanta@yahoo.com.