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Should law firms focus more on work-life balance? Survey finds ‘wide gaps’ in opinions of associates, partners

By Debra Cassens Weiss

January 24, 2024, 2:26 pm CST

Lawyers would like to see a greater emphasis on training and mentoring at their law firms, according to a survey released this week by recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa and Law360 Pulse.

That trait was most often chosen by lawyers who were asked which 10 traits among 28 choices that they would like to see more prominently reflected or valued at their firms, according to the 2023 Law Firm Culture Survey, available here.

The second most popular answer was policies that support attorneys’ well-being and work-life balance. After that, the most popular answer was being transparent about compensation and important decisions, followed by listening to input and being succession minded.

“Perhaps not surprisingly, wide gaps exist between partners and associates on some of these traits,” the survey said. “For example, a 28-percentage-point spread exists between partners and associates on the desire to see greater focus on well-being and work-life balance (32% vs. 60%).”

The survey received 401 responses from lawyers at 227 unique firms, averaging 296 lawyers in size, in 90 markets. Fifty-eight percent of the respondents identified themselves as partners, 22% as associates, 4% as managing directors, 2% as firm chairs and 13% as “other.”

The survey also asked respondents to choose 10 traits that most define their firm’s culture. The top four were:

• High priority on client service
• High-quality work product
• Good financial management
• Integrity

“Adherence to these traits should reassure anyone concerned about law firm culture declining in the era of celebrity/Instagram culture and the ‘super rich’ law firm,” the survey said.

Hat tip to Law.com, which covered the survey.