Page 10 - First Year Associates

S10 | Tuesday, OcTOber 13, 2015 | First-Year Associates Handbook
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environment
Young Lawyers Can Impact Their Firm’s Culture
By JacK Killion
The culture of a law firm can, over the long haul, make or break the firm. culture in a firm generally reflects the management and relationship development style of the leaders at the top.
Fifteen or 20 years ago law firm culture was not really an issue. The environment for lawyers was different then:
• There was less competition. now there is intense competition both from in-house counsels and from other, more nimble, lower-cost firms or solo practitioners.
• Clients were less likely to pressure their lawyers for lower fees. now nearly all cli- ents are taking a sharp pencil to their legal bills.
• Non-partner lawyers generally hung in there longer, hoping to get elevated to part- ner at their firm. Today, opportunities for lawyers (particularly those with a book of business) to change firms or split off to start their own firms are readily available.
• The speed and complexity of required legal work was much less than it is currently. The increased pressure of having to move more quickly and deal with much more com- plex and sophisticated legal challenges can burn out lawyers.
• Millennials want different things than did young lawyers a couple of decades ago. They want a better work/life balance and usually a bigger say in the firm’s activities. They are less likely to continue working in a siloed, stunted environment. They have learned that loyalty in the business world is no longer a “given” either way.
in 2015, because of factors like these, the culture of a law firm can be the make or break element in determining how well the firm performs and how long it survives.
Five of the most important elements in a firm’s culture are the:
• Leadership style and behavior of the senior partners
• Engagement of the entire firm work force with the values and mission of the firm • Relationships among the people within the organization. it is well-documented that people who have friends at work are sub- stantially more productive than the ones
who don’t.
• Overall vibe of the firm. Is it an exciting,
fun, fair, high-opportunity place to spend so
JACK KILLION, co-founder and partner of Bluestone+Killion: Harnessing the Power of Network- ing, can be reached at [email protected].
many hours working as hard as successful lawyers need to work?
• Velocity and quality of work, both of which are impacted by the amount of social friction within a law firm.
young lawyers just coming out of law school or making one of their early career changes from one firm to another should take culture into consideration when try- ing to make sound employment and early career decisions.
how can they do this? here are some thoughts.
• Ask the members of the firm with which you are interviewing to describe the culture
of the organization. if you ask a few people you will begin to get a sense of the culture. • Ask to spend some time with the heads of the various practice areas in the firm(s) you are considering joining. if this happens, you will begin to see the relationships
among the various practice areas.
• Pay attention when you are at the firm you are considering joining. is there a sense of energy about the place? are people laugh- ing and talking with each other. are people talking with each other in the elevators, passing in the hall or when in the coffee room? how do the senior partners relate to younger attorneys and to the support staff?
ask yourself: “Would i feel comfortable working here?”
• Ask your contacts with law firm experi- ence about the firm.
• Do some Web research. Google the law firm. see what you can learn.
• Ask the firm to put you in touch with some lawyers who left their employment within the past year. if they balk, be wary!
There are lots of ways that the culture of a law firm impacts its growth and prof- itability performance and the careers of those working within the firm. Too many law firms:
• Are stuck working in silos that restrict
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