Associates Are Getting Happier; What Does It Mean For You?

Associates Are Getting Happier; What Does It Mean For You?

The American Lawyer recently released the results of a survey of law firm associates (third-fifth year), which indicated the associates were happier with their work-life than a year ago, both of which were the highest positive scores in a decade. The study also shows which firms have the highest rankings of satisfaction among its worker ranks. As you go about your job search, this type of data should help guide your decisions on whether a law firm is right for you, and if so, the size of the firm, and perhaps even which firm. The overall satisfaction scores are primarily attributed by author of the piece to: 1) Fewer peer attorneys due to the hiring slowdown in recent years has led to the surveyed associates being more valuable, which has led to enticing lateral offers as well as lucrative retention packages; and 2) Improved technology enabling the associates to be more effective, as well as allow for more flexibility in how they work (e.g. working remotely). Other key metrics according to a quoted source were “engaging work, feedback, training, the opportunity to be promoted…” I also thought it was interesting that these increases in satisfaction among associates come at the same time as increases in billed hours: Billable Hours There is more to know about these numbers that would impact how we look at them. Primarily, are these associates simply working more hours, or are becoming more efficient, billing more of their work hours than before? The latter would more obviously connect the change in billed hours with greater satisfaction, as more billed hours on the same number of work hours makes both the firm and the associate more money without working any additional (i.e. the old work smarter not harder adage). As you’re evaluating different career paths and law firms, keep in mind some of these issues and ask questions of our office and those you meet with while networking or interviewing. I’ve heard quite a bit from students recently about the difficulty in differentiating between law firms; the task can be daunting. However, I do think if you narrow down your scope to the small number of issues that will really impact your satisfaction in the workplace, you’ll find the process is more manageable. Those key issues may or may not be what is identified above, so you should do some self-reflecting to make that determination for yourself. I should mention that, as with most legal employment surveys, the concentration of data here is in the big law firms, so keep that in mind. However, I think the factors being raised as they pertain to associate satisfaction would not be all that different in a smaller firm or other type of employer. If you’re interested, I pulled out the employers who recruit from us (or have in the recent past) from the list of those in the survey with the highest associate satisfaction when being graded by their own associates. The full list is there in the article. Law Firm Ranks Connect with Daniel at Daniel_Hare@Baylor.edu and/or @BaylorLawDaniel on Twitter. Job of the Week: Each week I highlight a job in Symplicity you might be interested in but may have missed. This week's job is: Summer Intern with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) (Washington, D.C., 1L/2L/3L) Log in to Symplicity to view this job and apply. ]]>

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