Why lawyers at mid-sized law firms have better careers than those at larger firms

It's a truth universally acknowledged that a law firm must run itself like a business and invest in its people to ensure its success. But, a challenge facing us all is how to create an environment in which people can flourish and remain fully engaged with their part
in the firm's future.

On paper, large law firms may seem a better bet for candidates at every level looking to further their careers. But,
I believe mid-sized firms are often better placed to offer careers that will match
their expectations, because we have
much greater flexibility and can respond more quickly to changes in the market.

Communicating change

The legal services sector is going
through a period of profound change.
It's uncomfortable for everyone, but managing change strategically and strong leadership can make all the difference. Poor management and failure to face
up to problems saps staff morale, undermines loyalty and has a direct
impact on talent retention.

When the recession came, we recognised that we had to react quickly and make difficult decisions to safeguard our business. We moved fast and focused on what we were good at, investing our resources in restructuring to make those areas successful. Our staff are vital to our success and we recognised that we needed to be open and honest, and to include them in this struggle by sharing information on our financial performance.

Recent research has found that involvement in strategic decision-making is a major factor in retaining lawyers.¹ Many firms still resist such knowledge-sharing but, for us, the result has been increased understanding, loyalty and support from all members of staff. Indeed, some of our current partners were associates during the recession and chose to stay and
grow their careers with us because of
our inclusive approach.

Growing skills

I believe opportunities to work on rewarding projects with interesting clients should not be restricted to a handful of high fliers or harboured by partners. The research shows this is a major factor in judging career satisfaction, particularly among younger lawyers. Having a clear policy of equality in offering satisfying work is vital and can be easier to manage within a smaller firm.

Another valuable tool is mentoring. One of the ways we use this is among staff moving up to associate level, encouraging them to mentor others coming up through the firm. It's proved to be a valued and sought-after role; not only does it show we have faith in their abilities, but it gives them a sense of pride in shaping someone else's future.

Equally, when trainees feel they are part of the firm, are allowed to work on their own caseloads and get to explore the real world of law, they recognise we are investing in them as potential partners of the future.

Evaluating performance

A sound business will regularly evaluate
and provide feedback to employees in a process of continual improvement. A third of the research participants said they don't receive regular and constructive feedback
on their performance. Too often, lawyers
are evaluated on narrow output measures and rewarded mainly for their number of hours billed.

A more valuable measure might be how satisfied their clients are. Happy staff interacting with happy clients is a vital element of business success. Legal and support staff need to be trained in customer care skills and evaluated on their performance as part of that.

As a member firm of LawNet, we take part in network-wide client satisfaction surveys and mystery shopping. The data we derive from that research has given us a clear idea of what our clients want from us and the evidence we need to work with staff to grow their talents in this area.

Changing priorities

As work-life balance has become more important to the millennial generation, replacing the open-all-hours attitude of the 'baby boomers', an increasing emphasis on traditional values can make the difference to talent retention.

Ian Curtis is managing partner of LawNet member firm Warner Goodman (warnergoodman.co.uk) and winner of the network's 2014 Law Firm of the Year award

Reference

1. See Career Satisfaction Report 2015, The Law Society of England & Wales, February 2015