Looking purely from a general R standpoint, it seems to me he's making you crazy because you have no recourse. You need him to do this work but there's no 'or else' to enforce. I'd say if he doesn't do the work as directed, don't pay him.
You are on point - at this point, I feel like I have no recourse.
I have pulled work from attorneys in the past and not paid them. I usually copy my boss when I take this type of action. In this case, PC has put me in the spotlight too many times at humongo client. I want to contain PC at my level. He is being phased on out humongo client. No one wants to deal with him or hear his name. This is residual work that needs to be wrapped up.
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However, I have a feeling that the aftermath would be worse than what you are dealing with now. So it's pretty clear how this guy survives - he gets paid to go away.
How soon can you cut him loose? Is it worth having him finish this work? Would the amount of time you spend dealing with him equal the time it would take to do that work?
Exactly. That is why my plan was and is again to respond to email and voice mails only to the extent necessary to be professional. I want a clean paper trail if PC decides to escalate further.
I will redo the work myself and send it to him with instructions to file. It will take roughly 3-4 hours of my time (and I cannot bill for it b/c well PC is getting paid to do the work - so this is really annoying). My boss would authorize it - but we are under a lot of pressure with other issues - I need to contain PC myself. It is not worth my time/effort/energy to talk to an attorney that is incapable of following simple instructions. If PC feels uncomfortable signing his name to the work - I will file it myself and create a trail indicating that PC refused to file.
I will not be engaged in any fruitless arguments. It is my call. I rarely invoke my authority to force someone to bend to my will. But I see no other way with him.
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To be honest, I'd probably pay him up to now, cut him loose and then instruct him that further contact would constitute harassment.
The man is an out of control emotional train wreck and loose cannon. Simple instructions triggered 4 very long emails and 4 long voice messages (no wait - email No. 5 just arrived! ). He would unleash who knows how many emails all over humongo client. That is why in my emails - I am calm, to the point, and very professional.
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It also sounds like he's causing you to spend so much time dealing with him that he's part of the reason you are getting no down time.
You are right. I called to cancel my late night walk with GF last night. She refused and came and dragged me out. She says she will be showing up on my doorstep every single night b/c we both need the destressor.
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You are handling this well. I do not have the patience you do.
If I hadn't become entangled with PC by virtue of his "friendship" with Emailing Man - I would have pulled all work from PC a year ago. I actually sent him this work b/c Emailing Man called me and asked me if there was anything I could do for PC b/c he had just lost his job at his law firm and was being informed that he would not receive any more substantive work from humongo client. If course Emailing Man regrets calling in a favor, I regret going out on a limb for him. This is a mess that really just needs to be contained and then eliminated as expeditiously as possible.
However, there will be a part II to this saga... PC manages a very small portfolio and sent me two things to complete (at my boss' request...). However, he rewrites everything (change font, font size, paragraph formatting, every other sentence I write, adds paragraphs and paragraphs of stuff - he is nuts). I have decided I will challenge nothing. He is the one responsible - even if it is wrong. I will keep a copy of what I send him in case this stuff is ever litigated - I will pull out my draft and say I filed what I did b/c the supervising attorney instructed me to do so.
). He would unleash who knows how many emails all over humongo client. That is why in my emails - I am calm, to the point, and very professional.
