Most law students believe the legal profession will be resistant to change during their careers, according to research that suggests the next generation of lawyers may be significantly more conservative than many commentators are predicting.

The research, which was undertaken by Legal Week Intelligence in association with Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), found 64% of the respondents arguing that the legal profession would only change "slightly" during their careers with just under a third of the sample (31%) taking the opposite view and claiming it would be "unrecognisable" by the time they retire.

"My perception of the legal industry is one of a strong, stable and resilient industry, yet equally one that is fairly exclusive and conservative," said one respondent.

Another added: "Despite the availability of online advice and the new 'Co-op' style law, clients will still value a professional solicitor's advice and opinions above all else. Big companies will still want to engage and employ firms that know the client and their needs well."

The survey drew responses from 293 law students and tested their views on the legal profession and how they envisaged their careers developing.

Asked to name the key factor in deciding where they would work, a significant majority of the respondents (41%) said "future opportunities for progression" with a further 27% identifying "culture" as the most important factor. Just 6% of the sample said "pay" would be a deciding factor.

The students were also asked to rank the most important traits for a successful career in the law with "ambition" receiving the highest overall score, followed by "problem solving" and "commercial understanding".

The lowest three traits for perceived success were "an argumentative streak", "technical brilliance" and "conciliation".

Asked whether they had an end goal for their career 63% hedged their bets by agreeing with the notion that they had "vague idea" of where they wanted to end up but were sure they'd take "different paths".

A further 17% were even less committed, arguing that they "don't see the value of planning ahead". Just 19% of the sample felt they knew what their end goals were.

Alan Demirkaya, graduate recruitment and trainee manager at BLP, said the responses "went some way to confirming our understanding that there is no typical model for a lawyer, that it is a profession which a wide range people, all with different personalities and characteristics, can benefit from and enjoy."

This article was commissioned for the Turning Points hub, an online career development resource from Legal Week in association with Berwin Leighton Paisner.