Is there more than money to your career in law?

Person working on their laptop at a desk. A statute of the scales of justice is in the forefront

In this article we discuss how career and salary expectations have changed post-pandemic, what candidates now want, and what law firms are doing about it.

We have said before at Legal People, that challenging economic times tend to lead to immense innovation and change. We have been recruitment consultants in the legal industry here in Australia for a long time and have seen the industry through its peaks and troughs and the associated business and working life improvements that naturally follow.

The currently tight candidate market, however, is one of the tightest we have seen. Our legal industry clients are crying out for talented lawyers, particularly mid-career (3-5 year) lawyers, and are doing all they can to make offers attractive and employee value propositions compelling.

Post pandemic, we have found that there are six considerations most in play when it comes to a lawyer changing jobs.

1. An attractive salary

An attractive salary is still important, but keep in mind that lawyers are making more considered career decisions and assessing opportunities holistically. Therefore, while you check that your employees' salaries are in line with current market conditions, also consider whether your firm has clearly articulated its Employee Value Proposition.

Which brings us to our next point...

2. Values alignment

We love how important this has become in the legal industry recruitment market. Mostly, this is because if values are aligned between employer and employee then there is much more likely to be a successful outcome and longer tenure with associated career development opportunities. During the pandemic many legal industry employees have taken the opportunity to reassess what they want out of their career. Candidates have come to understand that without a values alignment, they will never get the culture fit that they are looking for.

3. Flexibility

Whether it be working from home 5 days a week, 3 days a week or a 9 day fortnight, the legal industry well and truly discovered the lifestyle benefits of flexible working during the pandemic. We are seeing this request repeatedly from talented candidates and do not expect this to change. The structure of a legal practice is changing in that they will have less headcount in the office at any one time for the foreseeable future. Legal professionals are working more flexibly than they ever have before. This flexibility, however, is not being written into contracts, rather it is being agreed upon by an employee and their direct supervisor and covered under flexible working arrangement policies. We are seeing most working arrangements include a collaborative team day in the office for most employees.

This shift in work-life balance is exciting. It is particularly exciting to see firms offer more flexibility than we have ever seen in our 50+ years of legal industry recruitment experience. It really has been a long time coming.

4. Manageable workloads

The pandemic blurred some boundaries between home and the office, and many found themselves working even longer than usual hours. It was challenging to replace staff that left and or were ill and many had to pick up extra workloads to cover. Demanding billable hour targets for private practice lawyers continues to be tough on mental health and family life.

5. Performance recognition

Whether this be based on formal appraisals or real time feedback, employees want to be told they are doing a great job and be given constructive feedback around what could be improved on regularly.

6. Everything else!

After we came out of Melbourne's extended lockdowns, we have found that candidates are wanting it all. Their new job wish list features cash, career development opportunities, flexibility, sign-on bonuses, to work with great clients, future bonus opportunities based on performance, values alignment, and wellbeing programs. Many candidates are also asking about a firm’s billable hours per day requirements and comparing this to other firms prior to accepting a role.

How are firms responding?

In a highly competitive market, we are having to carefully manage expectations with our clients and really educate them about the candidate tight market we are in. We are telling our clients that if they see a great candidate, they should put their best foot forward and make an offer, not to wait for a comparison.

We are also being asked for much more information about a role and a company from our candidates. They are seeking more than a position description; they want a real understanding about benefits being offered including health and wellbeing policies and the whole employee value proposition. Many of our clients are subsequently currently working on improvements to their employee value propositions to demonstrate this.

As a specialist legal industry recruiter, we support our candidates to help them make the best decision on a role based on what we understand they want in a role. We are also managing expectations on this side as to whether their wish list is realistic! We are having to listen very carefully to what it is that a candidate wants and their reasons for looking for a new role.

Should you be looking for a new role, contact our team of consultants for a confidential discussion. We have a number of exclusively listed opportunities with legal industry employers of choice. We can help talented lawyers and legal support staff find a role at the firm on the top of their wish list. Contact us on info@legalpeople.com.au to get started!

Legal People are specialists in the legal industry. We recruit lawyers, support staff and HR professionals in Melbourne, Australia. If you enjoyed reading this article, you can follow our Company Page on LinkedIn for regular updates. To browse our currently available roles click here.

Further reading for legal industry employers:

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Is there more than money to your career in law?