Among midlevel associates practicing at Big Law firms based in Pennsylvania, there's a growing desire for firms to rework billable hour requirements due to concerns about mental health and work-life balance.

The American Lawyer's 2021 Midlevel Associates Survey, released last week, highlights some of the most significant challenges associates face in Big Law. One of the most common pieces of feedback from associates, regardless of their firm, is how hours billed are used to evaluate their performance.

The result is that compensation is tied directly to the number of hours worked, rather than other qualitative factors.