Changes in how firms utilize (or don't) younger attorneys, cuts to mentorship and development programs and a lack of in-person communication, exacerbated by the pandemic but certainly not solely driven by it, have created a mix that leads practice leaders and legal industry experts to believe there is a case of arrested development in newer attorneys and that the trend is not likely to stem. 

This isn't to say that today's young attorneys are less capable, in fact they are often quite the opposite: more tech savvy and independent than their predecessors, more attuned to the importance of "softer" skills such as business development and brand building and in possession of a comfort level with working remotely not bound by decades of in-office experience.