It looks like Miami is the place to be for midlevel law firm associates compared to their Am Law 200 cohorts elsewhere in the country based on annual ALM survey results.

The Miami associates at four of the five firms that met the response threshold gave higher satisfaction rankings than associates in its other offices.

McDermott Will & Emery led the way, and the upbeat feel was palpable on a short walk through the office — even when Miami managing partner Jerry Sokol was quizzing everyone from veteran partners to newcomers and putting them on the spot about how they felt about working for the firm.

"It's as important to us that people are happy and we have a good culture as that we're profitable and are indispensable to our clients," Sokol said. "When you're practicing law at the level of a big international firm, the work is going to be complex and difficult, and the clients can be very tough. The only thing we can control completely is our culture and how we treat each other."

An ability to operate in a supportive, collegial and collaborative environment factors into hiring decisions, he said. In pursuit of a positive culture, McDermott Monthly events are set in the late afternoon once a month for all attorneys and staff. September will be a karaoke show.

Carlton Fields ranked higher than McDermott Will nationally but placed second in Florida.

"These rankings are gratifying given that they reflect the views of our associates who are vital to the long-term success of our firm. Our associates bring creativity, energy and intelligence to the firm, and we are pleased to be recognized for our commitment to their professional and personal fulfillment,"  Naila Townes Ahmed, director of legal talent management at Carlton Fields, said in a statement.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius placed third in Miami and above the national average. Below average rankings were delivered in Miami for Holland & Knight and White & Case.

The survey asked third-, fourth- and fifth-year associates to rate job satisfaction at their firms based on compensation and benefits, training and guidance, relations with partners and other associates, interest in and satisfaction level with the work, billable hours policy and management's openness about firm strategies and partnership chances.

Workplaces were graded on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score. Firms with 10 or more responses nationally were ranked by average scores on these questions. The average composite satisfaction score for all 96 participating law firms was 4.29, up from 4.27 last year.

Miami firms were counted if at least five responses were received. Greenberg Traurig ranked below the other five firms nationally but did not have enough responses in Miami to be listed for the city.

Overall, associate satisfaction grew in nearly every category, reflecting well on retention. The greatest improvement in average score was in the "expect to stay two years" category, rising to 4.18 from 4.12 last year.

Midlevel associates also are happier on average about the type of work they do and their training. The average score for "interesting work" was 4.51, up from 4.47 last year, and the average for "satisfying work" was 4.39, up from 4.37.

Scores for "training and guidance" and "partner relations" increased by similar margins to 4.24 and 4.45, respectively.

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