Root Causes of Associate Turnover
A certain baseline level of associate turnover is expected at nearly every law firm, from Biglaw to smaller, boutique firms — and to some extent, associate turnover is inevitable. Even if the firm has been “good to them,” after a few years, many associates begin to question their work circumstances and whether there are better, more suitable options. For example, a third-year associate may be relatively happy at her current firm (and with her current projects and responsibilities) but may be seriously contemplating a lateral move to a firm where she believes that she stands a better chance at being made a partner. Alternatively — and commonly — an associate may want to switch gears and go in-house.
At a systemwide level, associate turnover can be controlled, in part. Certainly, a firm that has issues setting clear management expectations may suffer a greater level of turnover than a firm with skilled and relatable managers. If you’re a law firm associate looking to make a career change, there are numerous reasons that may be driving your decision — several of which may wholly justify your interest in a job transition. Consider the following common, root causes of associate turnover.
Lack of Task Transparency
Many associates find the lack of transparency difficult to handle over the long-term. By “lack of transparency,” disgruntled associates generally mean that there is a impassable gap between what an associate is capable of knowing about their projects, tasks, and assignments, and what the managing attorneys know. This informational asymmetry can lead to a great deal of work dissatisfaction, as associates in such positions may be given assignments with little-to-no warning. For example, an associate may be given a task over the weekend due to poor project management and planning — and said associate may not have been given any prior indication of this possibility until the last minute.
Lack of Capable Support Staff
Downsizing can lead to an overabundance of work piled onto associates. Without the aid of sufficient support staff, associates may be left having to complete repetitive, time-consuming, and exhausting tasks that would otherwise (at a different firm) be handled by paralegal colleagues.
Associate turnover tends to be especially high at firms that do not invest in the requisite support infrastructure and staff to ensure that associate attorneys can practice law without all the headaches — given that there are plenty of law firms in California and elsewhere with sufficient support staff, there is little reason for associates to bow their heads and force themselves to accept a poor work environment with inadequate staffing.
Poor Compensation
Associate compensation in the biglaw industry may be lockstep, but there is still a wide gulf when it comes to the “compensation rungs” — particularly among California firms, many of which may be lagging behind current New York City biglaw trends in associate compensation. Associate attorneys in certain regional markets (such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego) do not have to accept lower compensation. Many firms in California compete on a national level for legal talent, and compensate their associate attorneys accordingly.
Project Choice
Associate attorneys who do not have a say in what projects they’re assigned to generally experience much greater job dissatisfaction than associate attorneys who can work within the system to get assignments that they’re interested in. Some law firms provide very little choice to their associates. Such associates may find that this lack of choice is actually damaging to their career growth overall, especially if they have a particular industry they’re interested in familiarizing themselves with, or a particular skill they’re interested in developing — without the ability to influence what gets assigned to them, an associate attorney could be left in a stagnant position for years!
Non-Collegial Work Atmosphere
Many firms have built up reputations — often well-earned — as hyper-competitive workplaces with non-collegial, frustrating office cultures. Though many associates may initially find that they can “handle” a non-collegial work environment in their early years, the emotional burden placed on such associates can be a serious issues over a lengthy period of time. Associate attorney turnover at these hyper-competitive firms is usually very high, with associates seeking new opportunities as soon as they can (after building up the requisite experience with the firm, of course).
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If you are a California-based attorney interested in transitioning to a new position — whether at a law firm or in-house — contact the experienced legal recruiters here at Garb Jaffe & Associates. Our legal recruiters have a long track record of success in helping associate attorneys make the jump to organizations of their choice, and work closely with applicants to develop an effective application and recruitment strategy.
Interested in speaking with a recruiter? Call (310) 207-0727 today to schedule a consultation with one of our San Francisco Bay Area legal recruiters. We look forward to speaking with you.