AALL Webinar: Working with Difficult People: Advice on Real Life Scenarios

Includes a Live Web Event on 12/03/2026 at 1:00 PM (CST)

This session will explore the constant problem faced by people, working with “difficult people.” But what does difficult mean? Is it just differences in experience, generation, communication styles or personality? This panel works to cut through the stigma surrounding the word “difficult,” and enable participants to be more open to the differing perspectives and experiences within a workplace. The session will explore the various issues faced when collaborating with colleagues including encountering gendered roles and divisions of labor, managing challenging team members, problems within our workplaces, intergenerational conflict, navigating relationships with other departments, and more. How? By requesting anonymous real-life scenarios from attendees! We will ask panelists to speak to how they would address those specific scenarios to help attendees feel better equipped to return to their roles.

Share your own scenario or common challenge here by Monday, November 16. A selection of responses will be addressed by the panelists during the webinar. Scenarios will be presented anonymously and any identifying information will be removed or adjusted, though please note the program will be recorded and made available for AALL members after the live event.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Anyone interested in developing their leadership skills would benefit from attending. This session would also be beneficial to anyone seeking to learn how to get along better.

TAKEAWAYS:

Participants will affirm they are not alone in their struggles
Attendees will learn different tools and suggestions for responding to tricky scenarios and situations.
Attendees will gain better awareness on how to adapt and respond in particularly challenging scenarios

SPEAKERS:

Tim Hennies, Harbor Global
Jane Meland, Michigan State University
Ella Pieterse, New York State Unified Court System

MODERATOR:

Allie Penn, Dickinson Wright

AALL BODY OF KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS: Professionalism + Leadership At Every Level

CANCELLATION AND OTHER POLICIES

No refunds will be given for any purchased live AALL webinar. This applies to non-AALL members only as AALL webinars are free for AALL members.

All AALL webinars include live captioning services.

The opinions shared during this program represent the views of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL). Recording, capturing, or using AI tools to duplicate, transcribe, or otherwise reproduce an AALL program in any form is strictly prohibited without prior written consent from AALL. This includes, but is not limited to audio, video, or any other content shared. By attending an AALL program or accessing an AALL recording, you agree to adhere to this policy.

Allie Penn (Moderator)

Manager of Library & Research Services

Dickinson Wright

Penn is the Manager of Library & Research Services at Dickinson Wright, a firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan with offices across the country and in Canada. She serves around 450 attorneys with a team of two. Before that she was a solo librarian at Butzel Long for four years. She is the co-founder of the Solo & Small Library Team Caucus within AALL.

Tim Hennies

Law Library Manager

Harbor Global

With more than 15 years of experience in the legal industry, Hennies has held roles across law librarianship, from research to leadership. In his current role, he works with Am Law 100 and 200 firms to manage library operations and develop and deliver internal training. Prior to joining Harbor, he served as director of library services at Dinsmore & Shohl, where he worked with the leadership team on firmwide initiatives, managed day-to-day library operations, and collaborated with leaders across administrative departments to guide the firm through a series of mergers.

Jane Meland

Assistant Dean, Library Director

John F. Schaefer Law Library, Michigan State University College of Law

Jane Meland has been with Michigan State University since 2002 and has worked as a librarian since 1997. In addition to overseeing operations at the Schaefer Law Library, she teaches Advanced Legal Research and provides research instruction as part of the required first-year research and writing course. She earned her JD from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a master’s in library and information science from Wayne State University. She is also a member of the Michigan State Bar.

Ella Pieterse

Law Library Assistant

New York State Unified Court System

Ella Pieterse is a solo law library assistant with the New York State Unified Court System and vice president/president-elect of the Association of Law Libraries of Upstate New York. She is currently attaining her Master of Library and Information Sciences at the University at Buffalo, with an expected graduation in spring 2027. As part of her graduate studies, Pieterse will be conducting the research study highlighted in this session during the Spring 2027 semester.