Bills, bills, bills
Like last year, lawyers remained content with what they believe to be reasonable billing hours. Most Australian and New Zealand-based lawyers recorded a target of seven hours. "Billable-hour targets are too low for employed solicitors, but could be reduced for salaried partners (like me) with extensive marketing and practice-building responsibilities," suggested an Australia-based partner. Nevertheless, over 85% of Australian respondents thought that billable-hour targets were reasonable.
To move or not to move: what motivates lawyers
Management take note: lawyers stated that a firm''s reputation and value rest on whether it fosters its culture and better work/life balance, which far outweighed other factors such as partnership prospects or firm size. Teamwork, assertive colleagues and a positive work environment featured heavily on lawyers'' agendas.
One respondent, particularly, summed it up: "Fit is all-important. Meshing into the culture of a firm can make your life a misery or a delight, given the number of hours you spend at work." For some lawyers there were other issues to motivate their move: "The support and independence available to me in managing my work and assignments, and developing client relationships is also very important," said one respondent. Interestingly, 77% chose quality of work over reputation - which followed closely. Surprisingly, while compensation ranked high as a potential reason to move, it was not quite as high as work/life balance. One Australian lawyer summed it up this way: "The type of work is certainly more important than anything else - although this is assuming a competitive salary."
However, balancing work and life was high on the list for lawyers based in Australia and New Zealand. An Australian lawyer provided their reasoning: "Firm culture can be perceived by the type of people they take in. So if you know a few people working at the firm already, and they seem to be your type, that''s a great sign."
Making the regional jump
Despite voicing their concerns about firm life and the factors motivating their move, lawyers this year will be sitting firmly in their current positions to ride out the financial crisis. In uncertain employment markets, it was not surprising that a firm ''no'' (81% of lawyers) was given among Australian and New Zealand lawyers when they were asked if they would consider moving firms in the current market. ''Undecided'' made up 11%, while a bold 7% said they were likely to move, although some within these ranks noted they would only do so for an opportunity that was absolutely secure. The overall sentiment was captured in one particular response: "While I would be interested in moving, with the current economic downturn, there do not appear to be too many law firms recruiting and, as a result, a move may not be possible." However, where opportunities are available, most Australian and New Zealand based lawyers would choose the UK and Asia as their preferred jurisdiction, followed closely by the United States, while Europe and the Middle East were not as popular by comparison.
Employers of Choice: top firms Australia
Not surprisingly, two of last year''s winners appeared again in this year''s edition - one of them, Mallesons Stephen Jaques. Keeping an ear to the ground forms part of the firm''s initiatives to maintain its high ranking as one of Australia''s leading employers of choice. "Our people tell us they want to work closely with clients, be involved in planning matters and have opportunities to learn and stretch on the job," said managing partners Stuart Fuller and Tony O''Malley in a joint statement. "As a result, our leadership development programs over the last few years have placed a strong emphasis on delegation and coaching skills, and involving junior lawyers from the outset in understanding a client''s business, priorities and challenges, not just the legal issues."
Consolidating this over the next few years has become a priority for the firm, which is launching an International Graduate Program in 2010, in response to demand for more opportunities for graduates. "It certainly doesn''t hurt to have a strong reputation in the market when it comes to recruiting summer clerks, lateral lawyers and professional staff. While the GFC may have slowed the war for talent, it is critical that we continue to focus on our reputation as an employer over the longer term, so we are well positioned for the inevitable pick-up in the economy when it comes," they added.
This article first appeared in ALB's March issue 2009 – ALB Employers of Choice 2010 will be announced in March 2010.
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