It’s no surprise that work-life balance is a key priority for many young lawyers, especially those who are relatively new to the profession. But according to a report released by LexisNexis in April 2024, it’s now the most important factor for lawyers considering a firm transfer. This is further supported by Buchanan Law’s latest US data report, which also found that just under 20 per cent of employee mobility is due to lifestyle decisions, with a shift towards prioritizing work-life balance. There is further evidence of a significant shift in employee attitudes towards
This change can be partially attributed to the continued expansion of media coverage and increased awareness of the issue over time. In fact, talk about work-life balance, especially in corporate law firms, has a surprisingly long history.
These laws first started appearing during the hectic boom period before 2007. However, it really came to prominence in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, when corporate transactions began to pick up momentum. -The Life Balance headline served as an effective hook for young lawyers who tend to be overworked.
Over the past decade, such articles have become ubiquitous, gradually helping to shape opinions to the point that they reflect a fundamental generational shift in social attitudes that is now the new normal. I am. This paradigm shift is now firmly entrenched in the minds of many Millennials, but it’s even more prevalent among Gen Z.
Post-pandemic, it has become even more pronounced, emerging as the dominant view among young lawyers. As a result, employees in their first to fourth year of employment began to value lifestyle factors more early in their careers. This trend was not previously common in the legal field, especially in the United States.
Of course, the pandemic was the real catalyst for change. The pandemic has caused many people to think about their lives and the role of work in them, and to reconsider their priorities. Young lawyers are not unique in this regard, but the intensity and length of their work hours probably makes them more re-evaluated than lawyers in less demanding careers with longer regular work hours. It also became more soul-searching. After thoroughly reevaluating how they spend their time, many believe law firms need to rethink what work means to the lawyers who spend so much of their time. It became like that.
Historically, those who have strived to reach the upper echelons of corporate law have been incredibly driven by the ambition to win partnerships. They fully accepted that long hours and hard labor were essential to realizing their ambitions.
If you go back a generation, most young lawyers started out with partnership ambitions. They wanted to work as hard as they could to get promoted. But things have changed. Among the priorities of today’s young lawyers, lifestyle enrichment takes precedence over the possibility of partnership, and far fewer aspire to partnership. It’s becoming increasingly common in conversations for people to say they want to stay with their current company for as long as they can, and then move somewhere that better suits their lifestyle ambitions.
Regardless of age group, young lawyers, mid-career lawyers, and senior lawyers tend to have different priorities when deciding on a career change. In our experience, there has been a marked increase in employees and lawyers considering career changes based on lifestyle rather than career ambitions, and our findings support this point. From a generational perspective, the younger the lawyers, the more they consider work-life balance to be an important prerequisite when choosing a law firm, especially when deciding to move to another firm that suits their lifestyle. more likely to be considered as such.
As compensation levels for senior associates continue to rise, many employees in this tier are less likely to take the traditional promotion route to partner and instead enjoy a more favorable work-life balance. I am choosing to stay in a position where I can.
Of course, there are geographical differences. The growing desire to change lifestyles is most evident among those working in large law centers such as New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and Chicago, where pressures, expectations, and billable hour goals are highest. However, post-pandemic, the lifestyle choice trend is no longer limited to large law hubs and is accelerating in many other cities where young lawyers share similar lifestyle aspirations.
This mindset has led to the continued rise of cities like Miami and Denver in the overall workforce mindset, increasingly prioritizing location and lifestyle over traditional advancements.
Also, this phenomenon is not limited to the United States. Managing partners from London, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels and indeed Europe’s major law hubs say that junior lawyers are also seeking a better work-life balance. You will have more freedom to do other things in your life outside of work.
The impetus for change is not limited to the collective experience and groupthink of young lawyers working in law firms, spurred by an avalanche of media articles and surveys. It also has its roots on university campuses and law schools, where work-life balance and lifestyle expectations are ingrained topics of discussion for students even before they enter the workforce.
Indeed, many new graduates have already developed a fixed mindset of not thinking about what I can give to the workplace, but what the workplace can give me. They know there are other options.
Money is also part of the problem. Employee compensation structures are largely automated, but in the past they were often driven by individual performance, such as billable hours and contribution to the company. Young lawyers know what rewards can come from entering BigLaw.
So what can law firms do?
Linking compensation to individual performance is a good starting point, as there are large individual differences, especially when it comes to bonus elements. Competition is important. If a young lawyer chooses to do more work than the person next to him, he should know that he will be compensated accordingly. Similarly, those who choose not to do so should know what they are missing out on. There should be consequences for your choices.
Companies should also be more proactive early on in identifying who they will ultimately pursue a partnership with, and should seek to assess the potential earlier. Currently, many large companies do not begin evaluating employees until they reach the six or seven year service threshold. Instead, from the second or third year, it may become clear that you start separating people into different tracks and that some people are choosing not to do so. That way everyone can see where the investment and effort is being made and where the biggest bonuses are likely to be awarded.
Advice for candidates
Ideally, a career in BigLaw means every young lawyer has plenty of ambition. However, fewer and fewer people are willing to pursue partnerships. So, as someone who is truly ambitious and wants to go into the company and go beyond it and achieve something extraordinary, don’t be afraid to stand out among the competition.
Relatively few young lawyers currently have such ambitions, so big firms have never had the opportunity to separate themselves from other firms – to become a partner and achieve something truly great. There are more than one. That doesn’t mean you don’t care about your lifestyle or work-life balance. But given the opportunity, you’ll want to stand out. Particularly as a junior or mid-level employee, the more you can differentiate yourself from other partners, the more likely you will be liked by your partners. Inevitably, there’s a big caveat. It means that everyone should do what is best for their life. After all, such a choice is completely personal.
