Redwood Analytics

Not the American Lawyer, at least not the publication’s August 2007 issue reporting on the most recent survey conducted by the National Association for Law Placement.

After reading so many stories about the burnout demands being placed on associates, I was as surprised as you probably will be with the survey’s finding that associate job satisfaction was 3.81 on a five-point scale. Of course, the key here is that the survey does not focus exclusively on the AmLaw 200 group or the high-pressure firms in cities like New York, so it is a good dose of reality with respect to the law firm community at large.

There are, however, certain realities confronting law firms. Most associates entering the practice do not plan on spending their lives in private practice. Only 22.9 percent anticipate remaining in their firm for five years and only about 12 percent expect to become partners in the current firm. Another striking statistic is that in half the cases, the law firms appear happy to see the departing associates move on.

Is this really that bad? One of the great things about earning a law degree and passing the bar is that you are immediately a lawyer. You don’t have to spend years working your way up the organizational ladder to become a professional. That law degree and the time spent in the profession are a spring board for many law school graduates to enter the business world. It isn’t all bad for the law firm. Smart law firms can take advantage of their relationship with alumni to build and retain business. Granted, law firms also lose associates to lateral hires. Likewise, some associates leave to create their own law firm. But even that doesn’t have to be adversarial. Law firms refer business and the law firm that cultivates its alumni relations can be on the winning side of those referrals.

Yes, law firms can look for ways to reduce turnover. They can improve their selection process. But in large measure, law firms have to accept the fact that not all associates plan to make a career of it. Laws firms need practices in place to make the best of that reality.

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