Jill Rowbotham | Source: The Australian, Tuesday, December 13, 2022 | Law firms in battle to attract top talent

Wellbeing measures such as fertility leave and recharge days are among the lures now held out to potential legal recruits being courted by law firms in the relentless battle to sign up and retain the sector’s best talent.

A seller’s market that assumes good salaries and interesting work as part of any deal now has conditions sewn into it such as flexibility in office hours – which trumps everything else – better parental leave, clearer career paths and the advancement of women, the Australian Legal Partnership survey found.

All of it adds up to offering work/life balance and better support for physical and mental good health, in a trend that was accelerated when the Covid-19 lockdowns smashed the old working paradigm of long office hours as a proxy for productivity.

“We know people are looking for … access to market-leading work and development opportunities, a global network and the ability to work with multiple teams across the firm, flexible working, a comprehensive parental leave package, and wellbeing support,” Allens managing partner Richard Spurio said in comments that reflected the general view of the more than 50 firms in the survey conducted by Eaton Strategy + Search.

“We offer our people a range of benefits and resources to support mental and physical health, financial wellbeing, career development, flexibility and caring responsibilities,” he said.

“Priorities differ by person and for people at different stages of their career. We make a concerted effort to understand what is important to our people and we use those insights to inform initiatives.”

Mental health measures offered by firms included 24/7 support, awareness training and the provision of accredited mental health first aiders; billing relief for partners coming back from parental leave.

The tyrannical aspects of a regime of billable hours, presenteeism and the assumption every young lawyer is aiming for the top have undergone enforced revision, the survey shows. “There are systemic issues in the legal profession that need to be addressed; many firms will have particular issues they need to deal with and then there are individual career choices made that rule out partnership,” K & L Gates managing partner for Australia Nick Nichola said.

“For instance, the allure of partnership for both women and men now joining the profession is nowhere near as great as when I started decades ago.”

MinterEllison is among the firms that is making efforts to smooth the notoriously difficult path to partnership for its fee-earners, the lawyers who support partners and generate important income. Managing partner Virginia Briggs said partners and staff valued leadership and development programs, which included ones directed at young women and young leaders.

Firms are offering perks including mobile phones for fee-earners; more chances of promotion; boosted opportunities for international secondments; sign-on bonuses; and leave of all kinds: extended parental leave, offered to either partner, fertility leave and recharge days.