Generation Z loses interest in large law firms – 05/11/2023 – Market

Students and early career lawyers are increasingly turning away from the biggest global law firms, fearing a lack of work-life balance and assignments that clash with their personal ethics, research has found.

Just under 40% of so-called Generation Z lawyers – defined as those born between 1995 and 2012 – said they would like to join one of the top 200 firms in the United States, up from nearly 60% when the survey was last conducted a few years ago. three years.

The results “indicate that Gen Z continues to place an extremely high value on flexible working arrangements, a trend that has only increased during the pandemic,” said Jacqueline Bokser LeFebvre, managing director of leading professional recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa, which carried out the global survey between January and March.

“While they recognize, of course, that law firm life will involve some night or weekend work, many do not expect or want these extra hours to occur frequently,” she added.

Nearly 80% of respondents said they believe “a sexist culture” is pervasive in the industry, and 65% said they take a company’s racial, ethnic and gender makeup into account when applying for jobs.

Gender diversity at the top of major US law firms remained stubbornly low, with women making up just 27% of partners last year, up just 1 percentage point from 2021, according to industry analysts at Leopard Solutions.

Even when other employees, such as partners, were taken into account, women represented 39% of the total, Leopard found.

More than half of Gen Z respondents, which included students from the top 100 law schools, as well as young employees and associates starting out in the legal profession, said they hoped to eventually work as a corporate lawyer, in a government position or for a non-profit organization. .

When asked what might cause them to leave a law firm, respondents often cited practices that were “not aligned with their long-term interests/goals” or “not aligned with their values.”

Nathan Peart, co-author of the report, said such statements show that “perhaps more than any other generation currently in legal practice, this generation places a high value on social justice and altruism.”

Frank Ryan, global co-president of DLA Piper, one of the world’s largest law firms by revenue, said the results were not a shock.

“When you look at the political unrest, the social unrest, the economic headwinds, the income disparity that exists in America today […] I am not surprised to see this generation of young lawyers interested in practicing law to help society,” he said.

However, he defended big offices as “an amazing place to learn” while allowing employees to “feed their souls” with pro bono activities.

“I think law firms can do a better job of explaining to young lawyers… that we also do a lot of good in society,” he added, emphasizing that ensuring people are well represented is a commendable value.

Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves