MS Legal Search recruiter weighs in on the way Generation Y may (or may not) be shaping the Big Law workplace.
Gen Y Poised To Transform BigLaw’s Workplace Norms
By Erin Marie Daly
Law360, New York (August 17, 2010) — The traditional BigLaw work model is largely based on the concept of putting the firm first. But as Generation Y’s presence in the legal profession grows, firms will need to rethink that approach to meet the younger generation’s needs, legal experts say.
The so-called echo boomers — roughly defined as those born in the 1980s and early 1990s — are not necessarily averse to spending a huge portion of their waking hours on the job, but they tend to want greater flexibility in how they get their work done.
While the concept of flexible working options isn’t unfamiliar to most firms, what is new is that Gen Y is now pushing BigLaw to formalize these policies and integrate them into firm life for reasons other than parenting, according to Deborah Epstein Henry, founder and president of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC.
“Historically it has been women who availed themselves of flexible work options, but Gen Y is pushing for an understanding that work-life issues arise outside of the parental context,” she said. “They watched their baby boomer parents work really hard, and they want to work differently. They’re willing to work long hours, but they just want a more reasonable life.”
Driving this push is the fact that Gen Y has grown up with technology in a way that prior generations did not, according to Henry.
“They want to know why there isn’t more acceptance of using technology to work differently, for example by telecommuting,” she said.
Ian Nelson, vice president of business development at Practical Law Co. Inc., said it was crucial for firms to recognize the fact that Gen Y lives online, where 24/7 access to information is now the norm.
“They expect to find things right now and easily; they’re used to instant gratification; they expect to be coached,” Nelson said. “If a younger associate has a question, he or she wants an answer immediately — and online.”
This emphasis on technology should have a direct impact on how firms train Gen Y associates, Nelson advised.
“Instead of the old ‘trial by fire’ training, firms need to provide meaningful professional development to junior associates, invest in training and take at least part of their training online,” he said. “Great training in Gen Y’s preferred medium — the Internet — is the single most effective tool a firm has to get the most out of these attorneys.”
Nelson added that Gen Yers also expect support and professional development, which doesn’t always align with the traditional “sink or swim” model of law firm training. But he said firms that are willing to adapt their training to take the Gen Y audience into account will be able to reap the benefits of a younger generation of lawyers who have the ability to produce quality work product at a fast pace.
“Gen Y presents law firms with a big opportunity to separate themselves from the pack,” he said. “Firms that show a serious commitment to training and professional development will be rewarded with a crop of seasoned junior attorneys who are fiercely loyal to their employers.”
Kristen Olson Lyons, assistant vice president at MS Legal Search, said Gen Y associates are generally adamant about attaining some level of work-life balance, doing meaningful work, and having their time valued and respected.
Gen Yers are often reluctant to take into account that fact that firms are in the service business, according to Lyons.
“Law firms are slow to change and exist to make a profit,” and younger attorneys are sometimes less attuned to that reality, she said.
But while many firms seem to be getting the message from Gen Y that BigLaw culture is incompatible with the younger generation’s worldview, Gen Y is also having to put its expectations on the back burner in light of the dire state of the economy, Lyons said.
“Prior to the recession, I heard constantly from Gen Y lawyers about their concerns and their ideas for transforming BigLaw culture,” she said. “That came to a grinding halt once people started losing their jobs in droves. Many associates are just happy to still have jobs.”
Henry, for her part, emphasized that the economic downturn hadn’t necessarily rendered Gen Y’s push for greater work-life balance obsolete. Rather, many freshly minted law school graduates have actually had the opportunity to experience success and fulfillment in more flexible work environments — such as nonprofits — after having their job offers deferred by the big firms, she said.
Those experiences should influence BigLaw’s flexibility offerings in order to attract and retain young recruits as the economy recovers, according to Henry.
“There are potential opportunities in these changes,” she said.
But in order for work-life arrangements to be truly viable, firms and Gen Yers need to work together to design creative solutions that meet the needs of both the employer and the employee, Henry said.
Henry pointed to the example of one BigLaw firm that was recently faced with redesigning its Miami office. While the initial plans included a “corner office” scheme largely aimed at impressing clients, the firm interviewed its Gen Y attorneys to ask for their preferences and learned that the younger group was much more interested in working in a more communal environment.
Because the Gen Yers were also very amenable to telecommuting, the firm went with a smaller square footage than originally planned, and was able to pass that savings on to their clients while maximizing their young attorneys’ productivity, she said.
“It was a brilliant business move,” Henry said. “They saved hard dollars while still meeting the demands of both their employees and their clients.”
