Don't practise law like it's 1999 – millennials are a new breed of lawyer
Firms should be worried as new generation of legal professionals look for more creative roles than just partnership, says expert
With lawyers acquiring a more developed skillset, law firms have been urged to create alternative career opportunities to retain millennials.
Speaking at London Law Expo 2015, legal innovator and author of Avoiding extinction: Reimagining legal services for the 21st century, Mitchell E Kowalski gave a pragmatic view of the challenges facing firms in the future.
The solicitor and barrister made it clear that millennial lawyers must be comfortable with change if they are to survive in the legal profession.
'Millennials are going to start crafting a new meaning of what it means to be a lawyer. I would hope that lawyers in 2025 will meld legal skills and be more than just a legal technician, they'll be business savvy, have HR skills, emotional intelligence, some process improvement mentalities, some knowledge of tech, they'll understand how it all fits together, and they'll be able to manage their team to create that client solution.'
Kowalski said it was an exciting time to be a part of the profession for those comfortable with change and who were able to adapt and embrace new opportunities.
'However, if you want to practise like its 1999, I don't really like your choices,' he added.
On law firms, Kowalski said the millennial lawyer will look for more creative roles than just partnership.
'I hear more and more from firms around the world that a growing number of associates are disinterested in the brass ring of partnership. The unthinkable is starting to happen - the associate-to-partner tournament is lacking for participants, which puts the traditional partnership structure at risk.'
Kowalski continued: 'Millennials see the first five years of PQE as nothing more than an opportunity to gain valuable experience to be used elsewhere - with some creating or moving to alternative providers that compete against their old firms; others are moving to legal tech companies that value their input and experience, and give them a chance to re-invent aspects of the profession that did not sit well with them.
'This growing phenomenon is forcing law firms to rethink their leverage models and to create alternative career opportunities that will lure and retain millennials. And that may be a very good thing for the profession that is badly in need of a make-over.'
Matthew Rogers is an editorial assistant at Solicitors Journal @sportslawmatt matthew.rogers@solicitorsjournal.co.uk