Ethical Case Study - Analyzing Opportunities for OD Work at Northern County Legal
Services
Northern County Legal Services Case Study
Northern County Legal Services is a non-profit organization whose goal is to match pro-bono
clients with the appropriate lawyers to offer them services. The service is free to clients and is
staffed by one full-time individual, Julie, and fifteen volunteer and law school students.
1. What is it like to work in this environment? How do you respond to Julie as a leader?
Compare Julie as a leader with some of the descriptions of leadership styles provided in
Chapter 2.
While reading the case study of Northern County Legal Services, it becomes quickly apparent
that the office is in chaos. The employees working in the office are extremely unorganized, void
of direction, and generally frustrated. The working conditions are poor. The offices are cramped
with old equipment that is being utilized by too many people which leads to inefficiencies.
Overall, this would not be a pleasant place to work as it currently is functioning.
If I put myself in the position of an employee working for Julie, I would not appreciate her
leadership style. Her lack of management skills and lack of direction would be very difficult to
work daily. Just like the employees in the case study sitting in Julie's monthly staff meeting, I felt
dejected immediately when Julie began her meeting and would have tuned out just as they did.
She is leaving the employees to run themselves without much direction which is making the
situation worse, not better. Her chastising of employees in front of her peers and setting
expectations based on little knowledge of her staff’s ability is also a weakness. Julie lacks proper
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