The law is not a profession at ease with itself. More than two in every five lawyers would not become a lawyer if they had their time over again, according to a survey of assistant solicitors' attitudes by Garfield Robbins International.

The poll, conducted in conjunction with Legal Week, revealed that disillusionment with their career choice is highest among solicitors at the junior end of the profession. Forty-five percent of lawyers with less than two years' PQE and 47% of 'mid-ranking' solicitors with between two and five years' PQE wish they had not become lawyers.

The figures improve marginally among senior assistants, but there are still 33% of assistant solicitors with more than five years' experience who would opt for an alternative career if they had their time again.

The results, although painting a picture of widespread dissatisfaction in the profession, do show that lawyers are generally happier having moved roles than at their previous firms. Some 62% of senior assistants have had their expectations exceeded on moving jobs, with less than one in five having been disappointed by their new position. Both juniors and middle-rankers also seem to have benefited from a move, with respectively 65% and 76% of lawyers in these categories having had their expectations either met or exceeded.

We contacted more than 300 lawyers in compiling the survey, which aimed to assess the experience of assistant solicitors on moving firms. The results were then analysed according to seniority, with the responses of junior (less than two years' PQE), mid-ranking (between two and five years' PQE) and senior (over five years' PQE) assistants categorised separately.

A general picture emerges of junior assistants lacking enthusiasm in their work, particularly when compared with more senior professionals. When asked where they saw themselves in five years' time, only 40% of juniors predicted they would still be in fee earning roles in private practice, although only 15% saw themselves as having left the law completely.

This lack of genuine engagement with the profession is illustrated when asked to choose from a number of factors, which attracted them to their current firm. 'Need for a change' was by far the most popular single reason given, motivating 47% of juniors and proving far more of a magnet than the 'nature of the new role' (35%), or 'better working hours' (32%).

The motivations begin to change as lawyers become more senior, suggesting that legal work becomes more attractive and stimulating. 'Calibre of work and clients' was a motivation for 69% of mid-ranking and 76% of senior respondents, in both cases the most popular single factor.

Other reasons that rate highly at the senior level include the 'nature of the role' (51%) and, unsurprisingly, 'partnership prospects' (56%).

Interestingly, 'better salary' only seems to be a major motivating factor for mid-ranking lawyers (who tend to fall into the classic demographic for house buying and starting families) where it was mentioned by 69% of respondents, as against only 31% of juniors and a mere 16% of seniors.

Indeed, the results do reveal a profession where optimism is much more noticeable at the senior end. The vast majority of senior assistants feel that they have a better than average chance of achieving partnership. Despite a marked reduction in the number of partners being made up across the City in the past two years, 51% of senior assistants rate their prospects as 'good' with a further 29% considering them 'very good', while only 4% think that they have no chance of making the grade.

This contrasts with junior lawyers of whom 59% think of their prospects as poor or non-existent. For all the optimism as to their chances, however, seniors are by no means all convinced that partnership is for them in the long term. Asked where they saw themselves in five years' time, only 41% of senior assistants predicted they would be partners at their current firm, with more than a third (34%) predicting that they will have left the law.

When we asked what they considered were the most important factors their firm looked at when making up partners, seniors were quite convinced that it was a straight mix of hard work and traditional brown-nosing, with 98% suggesting 'chargeable hours' and 94% opting for 'good relations with key partners'. There is a clear perception across all three groups that actual legal ability is a relatively minor factor in partners' deliberations with 'technical expertise' mentioned by only 48% of seniors, 30% of mid-rankers and 28% of juniors.

The results of this survey show a profession which is failing to stimulate and inspire a large number of its members. In recruiting trainees and junior lawyers, law firms place overwhelming importance on academic achievement, but it seems that these highly educated, intelligent people are not being engaged in their work, particularly in the early years. It is pleasing that most lawyers' situations improve with a move of firm, but it does seem that the profession risks losing high calibre people altogether before they reach a stage in their career when their skills can be fully utilised.

We were surprised at how unimportant money seems to be to lawyers in making a move. It does seem that most solicitors would prefer to be rewarded as much by the quality of their work as by the size of their salary packet.

It is interesting to note that when we asked what they would rather have been instead, how many more would have chosen careers such as journalism or writing than well remunerated vocations such as merchant banking. At least journalists and lawyers share the written word as their tools of the trade. My heart goes out to the one disillusioned respondent who is a frustrated landscape gardener. It seems unlikely that his legal career will prove either hardy or perennial.

Bryn Bowden is a director of Garfield Robbins International.