The federal Judiciary today released the results of its first-ever employee survey exploring workplace issues, along with a new report containing recommendations for improvements aimed at achieving the Judiciary’s goal of fostering an exemplary workplace.

The survey results show that the overwhelming majority of Judiciary employees are satisfied with their workplaces. Eighty-four percent responded that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs and 80 percent said they would recommend their court or employing office to others.

The survey was conducted by the Federal Judicial Center for the Workplace Conduct Working Group, a group of judges and court executives who have been working on workplace conduct issues since early 2018 at the request of the Chief Justice. It was sent to nearly 28,000 employees in 2023, and the response rate was a statistically impressive 50 percent.

The results provided a wealth of data that the Judiciary is using to gain a deeper understanding of employees’ experiences and to guide continued efforts to foster an exemplary workplace for all employees. The Working Group used the survey results as a basis for nine new recommendations in a report to the Judicial Conference of the United States, which was also released today. 

The recommendations are designed to build on the substantial steps taken over the past seven years. Most respondents who indicated experiencing wrongful conduct did not avail themselves of employment dispute resolution (EDR) procedures. Two priority areas that the Working Group has targeted for improvement are reducing potential barriers to reporting misconduct and increasing employees’ confidence in using available resolution procedures. 

“These results tell me and my colleagues on the Working Group that we have done a lot, but we have more work to do to address the reluctance of employees to seek help or report wrongful conduct. And that work begins immediately, with a new set of recommendations for the Judicial Conference to consider,” said Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr., the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

The recommendations include the following:

• Review current definitions and guidance on abusive conduct and assess whether greater clarity can be provided on the distinctions between inappropriate behavior. Abusive conduct is a workplace protection unique to the Judiciary that goes beyond current statutory protections.
• Extend and clarify procedural rights, remedies, and obligations under the Model Employment Dispute Resolution (EDR) Plans, including clarifying that modifications to local plans cannot diminish or curtail rights or remedies under the model plan; ensuring that consideration of interim relief for complainants occurs consistently and at the outset of an investigation, incorporating additional monetary remedies for victims of misconduct, and removing the procedural requirement that employees first use assisted resolution prior to filing a formal complaint.
• Establish standards for the qualification and selection of EDR coordinators and enhance existing training.
• Promote the use of trained investigators in EDR assisted resolutions and in informal investigations at the local level.
• Ensure the appearance of impartiality of presiding judicial officers (PJOs) in formal complaint proceedings by appointing PJOs from outside a complainant’s district or circuit, ensure that PJOs appoint trained investigators, and develop additional resources for PJOs. 
• Expand feedback and information about EDR by ensuring that follow up occurs with employees who report wrongful conduct, developing uniform standards for the redaction and publication of EDR decisions in formal complaint proceedings, developing a publicly available source of published EDR decisions and relevant Judicial Conduct and Disability Act opinions, and augmenting data collection.
• Continue to incorporate workplace conduct training into orientation programs for all judges and employees.
• Clarify distinctions between inappropriate behaviors and abusive conduct in training programs for judges and employees.
• Provide continuing education for leaders at all levels of the Judiciary, including management training on listening, communication, building trust, and effective response to both inappropriate workplace behavior and allegations of wrongful conduct.

Learn more about workplace conduct initiatives in the federal Judiciary. 

As legal professionals, the importance of our collective voice in shaping the future of our profession and society cannot be overstated. The American Bar Association is once again inviting its members to participate in the ABA Legislative Priorities Survey, providing members with a vital opportunity to help the association prioritize its advocacy issues in Washington, D.C.

As the tumultuous 118th Congress draws to a close, the 119th Congress will convene on Jan. 3, 2025. With a new president and new Congress in office, the political landscape in Washington, D.C., is poised for significant power shifts and unpredictable developments, with border security, government funding and tax policy likely to become areas of focus. The survey is a critical tool to help determine the focus of the ABA’s advocacy efforts in the coming 119th Congress.

The ABA Legislative Priorities Survey is more than just a questionnaire; it is a powerful instrument that helps the ABA to align its efforts with the concerns and priorities of its membership.

Participation in the survey is available exclusively to ABA members. It opened on Nov. 11 and will close Dec. 11, and it takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Most members will receive an email with a personalized link to the survey, but it can also be accessed at ambar.org/prioritiessurvey.

In the previous survey for the 118th Congress, we saw a tremendous response, with more than 5,000 members taking the time to participate.

Their input was invaluable in guiding the ABA’s advocacy on key issues that impact our profession, justice system and the communities we serve. Priorities for the 118th Congress included access to legal services; civic education and election integrity; criminal justice system improvements; cybersecurity; elimination of discrimination; immigration reform; independence of the judiciary; international rule of law; judicial oversight of the legal profession; and legal education.

Building on the success of previous years, the ABA enhanced the survey process this year by partnering with a professional survey company. This collaboration will allow us to gain an even clearer and more detailed understanding of our members’ priorities. For those who participated in previous surveys, your engagement made a difference, and we thank you. We once again encourage you to lend your voice to this important initiative. For those who are new to the process or have yet to participate, now is the time to get involved.

The year’s survey covers a broad spectrum of potential policy issues on behalf of the legal profession, including access to justice; judicial security; criminal justice reform; burdensome regulations on lawyers engaged in the practice of law; and student debt relief. It will also solicit members’ feedback on their priorities for evolving areas of the law, such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

The survey results will be presented to the Board of Governors at the ABA Midyear Meeting in January. The Board will consider survey results alongside the following criteria to determine the ABA’s legislative priorities in the 119th Congress:

• Breadth and strength of the ABA interest
• Importance to the practice of law
• Public perception of the profession
• Opportunity for impact
• Potential for achievement
• Timeliness of issue
• Expertise of lawyers on the issue
• Importance to society
• Importance to the administration of justice

Once the Board establishes the ABA’s federal legislative and governmental priorities for the 119th Congress, the Governmental Affairs Office will post the information on the ABA’s Priorities & Policy page. These priorities will guide ABA leadership, the GAO’s team of lobbyists and our grassroots outreach as we advance the ABA’s policy interests for the next two years.

Thank you for taking advantage of this opportunity to provide your response. By participating in the ABA Legislative Priorities Survey, you are playing a vital role in shaping the ABA’s advocacy efforts as the voice of the legal profession. We will continue serving our members, our profession, and the public by defending liberty and delivering justice.

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This report is written by the ABA Governmental Affairs Office and discusses advocacy efforts by the ABA relating to issues being addressed by Congress and the executive branch of the U.S. government.

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3. About half of surveyed lawyers are satisfied…

Lawyer Pay

About half of surveyed lawyers are satisfied with their law firm compensation, survey finds

By Debra Cassens Weiss

October 3, 2024, 9:03 am CDT

Only 52% of surveyed lawyers are satisfied with their total compensation, but the percentage increases with pay transparency, according to a law firm compensation survey by Law360 Pulse.

In firms with pay transparency, 74% of lawyers were satisfied with their total firm compensation, according to a Law360 story on the survey. Thirty percent of the surveyed lawyers said lawyer salaries were transparent.

Another 17% of surveyed lawyers said salaries at their firms were partially transparent. In this group, 54% of the lawyers were satisfied with total compensation.

The median base pay for associates was $120,000 at firms with 100 or fewer lawyers, $179,000 at firms with 101 to 600 lawyers, and $230,000 at firms with more than 600 lawyers.

The median base pay for equity partners was $250,000 at firms with 100 or fewer lawyers, $400,000 at firms with 101 to 600 attorneys, and $800,000 at firms with more than 600 lawyers.

Median bonuses were $15,000 for associates, $50,000 for nonequity partners and $170,000 for equity partners. The Law360 story did not break down bonuses based on firm size.

More than 1,150 lawyers responded to the survey, which was conducted from April to June. Survey respondents were asked about their compensation for 2023. Forty-one percent of the respondents were associates, 16% were nonequity partners, 27% were equity partners and 16% were other attorneys.

Law360 Pulse’s 2024 survey is titled Compensation Report: Law Firms.

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3. 24% of law students expect to work in public…

Careers

24% of law students expect to work in public service, survey says

By Debra Cassens Weiss

March 13, 2024, 2:45 pm CDT

Public service appears to be more of a career goal among today’s law students than for those who came before them.

Twenty-four percent of law students surveyed by Bloomberg Law said they expect to work as a practicing attorney in public service. It was the second most popular answer, behind expecting to work as a practicing attorney at a law firm, chosen by 59% of the respondents.

Practicing attorneys surveyed, who had an average of 26 years in practice, had different expectations in law school, according to the survey. Eighty percent said they expected to work as a practicing attorney at a firm, while only 10% said they expected to work as a practicing attorney in public service.

Expectations don’t always align with reality, Bloomberg Law points out in a story on its Law School Preparedness survey. Only 0.5% of the surveyed lawyers said they primarily practice in public interest.

But there has been an increase in new lawyers working in public service, Bloomberg reports, citing information on employment outcomes from the ABA. The percentage working in such jobs was about 4% in 2016 and a little more than 8% in 2022.

The article suggests several possible reasons for increased interest in public-interest work, including a “Trump bump”—an increased interest in making a difference following the election of former President Donald Trump in 2016. Another reason may be an increase in diversity at law schools. Students with diverse experiences may have more of a desire to help marginalized communities.

More than 2,700 law students, practicing attorneys and others in the legal profession participated in the Bloomberg Law survey, which was conducted Nov. 15, 2023, through Dec. 4, 2023.

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3. BigLaw associates ‘have never had it better;’…

Associates

BigLaw associates ‘have never had it better;’ they are working fewer hours, survey says, and making more money

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 1, 2024, 12:56 pm CST

Lawyer head count is growing, while productivity is declining, according to a year-end survey of more than 130 larger law firms released this week by Wells Fargo’s Legal Specialty Group.

The survey showed that the number of lawyers is up 2.8% for 2023, while productivity is down 2.1% for 2023, which amounts to 1,542 billable hours per lawyer for the year, according to a survey summary provided by Wells Fargo.

A Big Law Business column from Bloomberg Law emphasized the findings.

“Associates have never had it better than they do right now,” wrote Big Law Business columnist Roy Strom. “BigLaw associates have never logged fewer hours and never brought home bigger paychecks. Who doesn’t like working less and getting paid more?”

Many BigLaw firms increased associate pay in late 2023. Paychecks typically range from $225,000 for the class of 2023 to $435,000 for the most senior associates—and that doesn’t include bonuses.

The Wells Fargo survey gathered information from more than 130 firms, including 70 Am Law 100 firms (representing the nation’s top 100 grossing firms) and 35 Second Hundred firms (ranked 101 to 200 by revenue). The remainder were regional firms.

Strom looked at information provided by firms in the Am Law 100.

“Lawyers at those top firms billed an average of 1,551 hours last year,” Strom wrote. “That’s down from an all-time peak in 2021 of 1,683 hours, Wells Fargo data show. It might not sound like much. It works out to about 2.5 hours of extra time per week. Hit the Peloton, go see a movie, give yourself a little treat.”

Owen Burman, managing director of Wells Fargo’s Legal Specialty Group, told Strom that the decline in productivity didn’t lead to a large number of layoffs because of increased billing rates.

Burman told Law360 that the outlook for firms in 2024 is “pretty positive” at this point. He cited increases in billing rates and demand and noted that firms have a lot of work in progress.

Other publications covering the survey include Law.com, Reuters and another Bloomberg Law story.

Wells Fargo also found, regarding all the firms surveyed, that:

  • Standard billing rates increased 8.3% in 2023.

  • Revenues increased 6% in 2023, double the 2022 growth rate of 3%.

  • Net income increased 5.9% in 2023, compared to a 3.1% decrease in 2022.

  • Profits per equity partner increased by 4.9% in 2023.

  • Expense growth eased to 6% in 2023, down from double digit growth posted in the first nine months of 2022.

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3. Should law firms focus more on work-life…

Law Firms

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.