Senior associates are the unhappiest cohort of lawyers at UK firms due to gripes about job satisfaction and pay, according to a report by Chambers and Partners.
Just 61% of senior associates said they had high levels of job satisfaction, compared to 76% of trainees and 75% of partners, according to Chambers’ The Leading Teams report. Department heads scored the highest job satisfaction, with 85% reporting being happy.
The report also found that two in five associates have no plans to stay at their current firm for longer than five years, with 23% citing salary as the key motivation to leave. Others cited day-to-day happiness and engagement as a factor in their dissatisfaction because they may not be able to do high-quality work, feel comfortable being themselves or feel confident their firm’s partners are nurturing future leaders.
Lisa Hart Shepherd, chief product and innovation officer at Chambers and Partners, said: “Lawyers at the beginning of their careers report high levels of job satisfaction but as they gain experience and move to associate level, happiness levels dip considerably, representing a significant flight risk.”
For those considering moves, the report found that regional or national firm lawyers were most attracted to firms including Mills & Reeve, Burges Salmon, Birketts, Osborne Clarke and Farrer & Co, while international firm lawyers were most attracted to Bird & Bird, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Clifford Chance and A&O Shearman.
Associates at national firms were more likely to complain about salary (29%), while associates at international firms were more likely to complain about work allocation (26%) or work/life balance (22%). Associates at US firms were more likely to complain about a lack of career development opportunities (28%).
The data showed associates at national and regional firms, on average, reported working six fewer hours per week than their international and US firm counterparts, averaging three days in the office compared to closer to four for US firms.
The report said that associates who felt they worked for a responsible business where there were opportunities for learning and development were more likely to be committed long term, as were those who worked somewhere with a culture of teamwork and support.
Hart Shepherd said: “What [firms] have in common is that if they want experienced and talented associates to stay, they will need to be proactive and invest in developing their people, create a supportive culture that helps associates manage the demands of the role and ensure that their firm is committed to the wellbeing of employees.”
The report was based on a survey of 1,680 lawyers across 110 top law firms in the UK.
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