Photo: shutterstock.comFrom Glass Walls to Free Snacks, Associates Dish on What They Love, Hate and Fear
We asked associates some open-ended questions. Their responses reveal some of the good, the bad and the ugly in Big Law.
August 27, 2019 at 04:50 PM
4 minute read
Some trends are quickly apparent from The American Lawyer's Midlevel Associates Survey this year: the respondents are happier than before, focused on finding a work-life balance, and have their eye on the risk of an economic downturn and the possibility of being replaced by a robot.
Of the 4,000-plus survey submissions from associates we received, a large number of associates were also satisfied with their compensation, but many in Big Law were worried about the risk of burnout.
Other common sentiments were also apparent:
|Free stuff polls well.
"More free snacks in the office!" Fifth year at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.
"Provide more free food items and/or firm-branded merchandise … I'm not asking for Google-style benefits, but even a small amount of movement in this area would likely have a positive impact." Fifth year at Goodwin Procter.
"Thank you for the free La Croix." Fifth year at Troutman Sanders.
|Glass walls: about as popular as glass ceilings.
"[Don't use] glass-walled offices, which are hard for pregnant and nursing mothers and overworked associates." Fifth year in the Washington, D.C., office of an Am Law 50 firm.
"I would ask that at least a strip of frosting be added to the glass offices to relieve at least some of the anxiety of being constantly on display and watched." Third year at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.
"It shows a complete lack of respect [for the] privacy and work of the associates to do this to them." Fourth year at the Washington, D.C., office of an Am Law 100 firm.
"I would remove the glass walls and doors." Third year at Covington & Burling.
|Some of the complaints were minor.
"More staplers that can staple extremely long documents." Fourth year at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough.
"There aren't enough donuts on Fridays." Fourth year at Kirkland & Ellis.
"Low summer associate budgets. You want me to police a summer [associate] trying to order a $6 coffee drink? Or, god forbid, a coffee and a pastry?" Fourth year at Dorsey & Whitney.
"We need better coffee." Fifth year at Thompson & Knight.
|But some see a dire need for change.
"The elitism is obnoxious." Fifth year in the Los Angeles office of an Am Law 200 firm.
"Majority of partners should be women or racially diverse." Fifth year in the Los Angeles office of an Am Law 50 firm.
"We have bad apples in the firm that have not been handled. … Most partners here are absolutely wonderful to work for, but those that aren't really poison the well." Fifth year in the Washington, D.C., office of an Am Law 50 firm.
"There's … an alarming culture of sexual harassment, and what seems to be an unusually high number of partner-associate relationships/affairs for a law firm." Fifth year in the Washington, D.C., office of an Am Law 100 firm.
|How they responded when asked what was their biggest threat to their current role in the industry:
"Apathy and disinterest from millennials not wanting to grind in Big Law." Fifth year at O'Melveny & Myers.
"Unfounded industry-wide stereotypes about the work ethic of millennials." Fourth year at Crowell & Moring.
"Partners not retiring." Fifth year at McDermott Will & Emery.
"Proletariat revolution." Third year at Winston & Strawn.
"Recession or Godzilla (1998)." Fourth year at Vedder Price.
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