5 Salary Review Tips for Legal Support Staff
The meeting invitation pings into your inbox. You are invited to a Performance Conversation with your people leader.
Performance conversations across the Legal Industry come in many different shapes and sizes. In some instances they are a robust and official conversation with a HR professional. In smaller firms they may be as simple as a cup of coffee and a chat.
Some firms have even started the process of building in After Action Reviews. This is when feedback is sought and given at the conclusion of a matter or a project.
Whatever the format your performance review takes, it is best to be prepared. Your supervisor or manager should have a reasonable idea about how your performance is going. Sometimes however, they may have short memories and they might not always remember the time you went the extra mile, or got that great bit of feedback from a superior.
To ensure you get the best possible outcome, here is our easy 5 step plan for approaching an annual salary review. It just may help you get you the salary increase you are after!
1. Bring the Proof
The best preparation goes for the whole year. That is, keeping copies and filing items/emails that back up your stellar performance as evidence you are doing a great job.
This evidence helps demonstrate you are deserving of a positive salary review. It should be evidence of situations where you have gone above and beyond to add value. It may be evidence that you solved a problem or improved a process.
Some examples you might wish to consider are:
· Delivering client service beyond expectations
· Improved a process to enable a reduction in resources
· Supported additional partners/ lawyers or associates
· Added to your qualifications
It is also a good idea to have an understanding of what the current market rate is for a Legal Industry support resource. We can help with this via our unique Legal Salary tool. Based on more than 40,000 anonymous survey responders, you can search your speciality, role and location here.
2. Take Constructive Feedback on Board with Class
Your manager may have examples of situations you could have handled differently. They may offer suggested approaches to upcoming projects or situations. Any kind of performance conversation needs to be a two way street, so don’t forget to listen! Ensure that you take on board any areas that they want you to focus on.
If there has been a mistake you contributed to during the performance period, be thinking about what you learned from that situation. How have you have gone about preventing a reoccurrence?
3. Is it a Good Year for the Firm?
Any performance conversation needs to take place within the context of the economy. It also needs to consider the firm’s financial performance over the last 12 months.
You should understand whether company revenue is on target. You should have a high level understanding of prevailing current market conditions.
4. Don’t Forget to Ask the Question!
You may be surprised how many people turn up for their annual salary review and do not ask for a salary increase. It can be as simple as stating “I’d like you to consider a salary increase.”
This article in Lawyers Weekly suggest that most firms expect to increase salaries by somewhere between 0.7% and CPI in 2018. If you are presented with a figure that you think undervalues your performance, there may be some room for negotiation.
5. Consider Your Options
If you feel that your performance is impressive and your firm has been unable to meet your salary expectations, it might be time to move on. We are finding that the current market has significant demand for talented legal support staff.
Generally speaking moving to a different firm will increase your salary, although not always significantly. Leaving an organisation for more money should be considered an extreme measure. You should also be sure that a new role will be challenging and offer career opportunities!
If you enjoy your current role and your firm’s values and culture, then leaving may not be right for you. Seek feedback from your manager in relation to their expectations from you for the future and get started on being even more impressive!
Are you looking for a new and challenging role in the legal industry in Melbourne? Legal People is your gateway to legal opportunities. We 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.
