Editor's note: Lauren Krasnow, who wrote the commentary that is the subject of this article, offered a response that can be found at the bottom of this article.

We wanted to respond to an article published recently in The American Lawyer, "Do Associates Know What They're Really Being Paid For?" While we agree with some of the skills that the author highlighted as crucial to law firm associates' long-term success—including the importance of attention to detail, conscientiousness and taking ownership of your work—we disagree with her overarching framing of associates' position and value to a firm. While her perspective of the associate role may have been accurate in the past, we find it's simply not the case for today's associates—and firms that subscribe to this viewpoint may be in danger of losing top talent.