To find out what the next generation of Big Law associates wants from their employer, Hunton Andrews Kurth went straight to the source. For the second year in a row, the Am Law 100 firm sidelined its typical summer associate program for a firmwide virtual "Hackathon," with this year's event aimed at solving the problem of young lawyer attrition.

The program placed the summers into nine teams of five to six associates and asked each to present a solution at the end of the summer in a "Shark Tank-style" competition. Their ultimate recommendations focused on more structured feedback and mentorship, better work-life balance and parental support, and an openness to "alternative arrangements" outside the partner track that don't require as many billable hours.

Firmwide hiring partner Rudene Mercer Haynes said associate attrition has always been a part of the business, but called recent attrition rates "startling." The current generation of young attorneys, Haynes said, has different priorities that firms need to accommodate.