The leaders of New York's midsize law firms say they are uniquely suited to give millennials meaningful work, recognition for their accomplishments and a better work/life balance—all values that studies show are attractive to that generation.

In a series of interviews, millennials who abandoned larger and smaller law firms in search of more satisfying jobs say they have found midsize firms to be, so to speak, the happy medium. And midsize firms because of their ability to change more rapidly are reaping the benefits, said Jonathan Fitzgarrald, managing partner at Equinox Strategy Partners, which advises law firms about generational issues.

“Millennials are trying to understand why something that on its face looks archaic is being done over and over by really smart, intellectual people,” Fitzgarrald said. “I think that's good for business because it keeps law firms evolving. It keeps law firms progressing. It stops them from just stagnating.”

Of course, all millennials do not think alike, but there are certain values they share according to studies by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and other firms. Millennials do not want to sacrifice everything to be a partner one day, and some don't want to become a partner at all. They want to have a positive impact, spend time with their family and friends and pursue hobbies.

Stephen Bielecki. Courtesy photo.

“I like the idea of doing impactful work that allows you to leverage technology and do something that you think is valuable. I think that's a lot of what we strive for,” said Stephen Bielecki, an associate at Kleinberg Kaplan, a firm with 60 attorneys and offices on Fifth Avenue.

Bielecki, 31, whose practice focuses on the formation, structure and operation of hedge funds, said he developed an expertise in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology when putting together a CLE presentation for other lawyers at the firm.

“This particular experience for me has confirmed that, yes, what I'm working on is valuable,” he said. Midsize firms, he said, offer the ”ability earlier than you might have at a giant firm to take ownership of practice areas or knowledge areas.”

Nneoma Maduike, 34, of counsel in the Banking and Specialty Finance Group at Otterbourg, said of her generation: “We all have the same exact preferences and expectations about what comes from workplaces and work experiences.

Nneoma Maduike. Courtesy photo.

“One of the things that I think is unanimous is flexibility in our work environment,” she said, such as the ability to work remotely. “I think the majority of my peers across the spectrum, we tend to prefer that flexibility in whatever form it is.”

Maduike, who practiced in significantly larger firms before coming to Otterbourg, said, “We tend to feel a need to be part of the process, to feel that our contributions do matter.”

“You don't become a cog because you have direct access to people who are willing to provide you with mentorship and substantive work. In that way, midsize firms always have an advantage. There's no competition,” she said.

Adam Rafsky, 33, an associate at Farrell Fritz in New York City, which has 90 lawyers, said the advantage midsize law firms have is often a “sheer function of size.”