Biglaw

What In The World Can Be Done About Millennial Lawyers?

If your firm envisions growth in its future, you'd better figure out how to get along with them.

By  
on

Millennials at your firm?

Millennial lawyers! Am I right? They’re so needy and lack motivation. They expect instant gratification and immediate promotions and accolades. Who do they think they are? And what in the world are we going to do about them?

Are you nodding your head in agreement right now? Then, let me guess — you’re probably a Baby Boomer or Gen X managing partner. And all of your new millennial hires are the bane of your existence. You have no idea what to do about them other than hold internal seminars at your firm, where you learn a bit about this generation. During these events, everyone wrings their hands and frets over the lack of ambition and drive exhibited by the latest round of associates — and then leaves feeling frustrated, with no actionable ideas or plans.

If this sounds like you or your firm, then guess what? Your limited — and limiting — perspective is a contributing factor to the millennial associate issues that your firm is facing. Don’t believe me? Then read “What Millennial Lawyers Want,” a recently published book written by Susan Smith Blakely. In it she explains what makes this generation tick, and how managing law firm partners can change their outlook and embrace the many qualities that make this generation unique and valuable to law firms seeking to thrive in the coming years.

But before we get to some of the strategies she suggests that firms undertake in order to make the most of their millennial lawyers, let’s learn a bit about them.

First off, there are three times as many millennials as there are Gen Xers. And, in just two years, this generation will make up over half of the workforce; within a decade their numbers will increase to nearly 75 percent. In 2017, millennials represented two thirds of the workforce and nearly 25 percent of all lawyers were from this generation. And Baby Boomers are retiring at too fast a rate for the much smaller group of Gen Xers to fill their shoes. In other words, in just a few years, the future of your firm will be built upon the shoulders of millennial lawyers. Or maybe robots. Take your pick.

So whether you like it or not, millennial lawyers are here to stay and if your firm envisions growth in its future, you’d better figure out how to get along with them and get the most out of them. Great news, though: there’s lots of advice in this book that will help you do just that.

Sponsored

First off, you need to acknowledge the many positive attributes of members of this generation. As someone who works for a fairly large California-based tech company (in case you’d like to look it up, it’s MyCase, an AppFolio company) I work with them all the time and can assure you that they are smart, hard working, and driven to succeed. But as Blakely explains, their definition of success may very well differ from that of you and your more-seasoned colleagues:

“(M)illennial lawyers care less about big salaries and bonuses and extravagant social events than they care about healthy law firm cultures and work/life balance, and they understand that law firm prestige is often based on false indicators. They still aspire to be partners in law firms, but they want to be partners on terms that make sense to them and within the context of their lives.”

Next, she offered steps that law firms can take to keep millennials at their firms — some of which are based on input from millennial lawyers. Here were her recommendations:

  • Develop training programs to help them understand your law firm so that they can more easily and quickly integrate into it.
  • Ask them for feedback about changes they’d like to see and respond to their input.
  • Provide them with more information on the business of law so that they better understand — and have confidence in — the firm’s strategies for success in the future.
  • Place lawyers in management positions who are strong leaders; good lawyers aren’t necessarily good leaders.
  • Don’t base associate value on billable hours alone; instead focus on factors like the quality and quantity of work, involvement in the firm, involvement in pro bono matters, and community involvement as a channel for business development.
  • Create a work environment where associates feel as if they’re working with someone rather than for them and de-emphasize requirements of hierarchy.
  • Provide more meaningful opportunities earlier in their careers.
  • Use communication styles that are familiar and comfortable to them.
  • Provide greater flexibility as to when and where they work.
  • Emphasize intergenerational team building so that there are more opportunities for senior members to share their wisdom with junior lawyers.
  • Educate all lawyers on unconscious bias.
  • Embrace and take advantage of their love of technology.
  • Increase transparency.

These are just a few actionable ideas. There are lots more where this came from in the book. Also useful is the second half of this book, which provides an assortment of stories designed to showcase the lessons that can be learned from the generation of lawyers that preceded Baby Boomers.

Sponsored

I found this section of the book to be a bit of an unexpected departure from the first section, but the stories provide some useful insight and could conceivably be used to encourage discussion during a firm workshop on working with and providing value to — and getting value form — millennial lawyers.

Of course, it’s not just about catering the needs — and whims — of millennial lawyers. Part of ensuring the success of millennial lawyers in law firms for year to come also involves some deep navel gazing on the part of millennials, a fact that Blakely acknowledges and addresses.

So for the millennial lawyers reading this post, rest assured that you’re not entirely off the hook. You’ve got some work to do as well. So tune in in two weeks for my next column which will provide advice to millennial lawyers to help them thrive in the law firms created and run by their predecessors. No doubt they have some work to do, but you’ve got to meet them halfway, and next week, I’ll tell you how to do that.

Niki BlackNicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase, web-based law practice management software. She’s been blogging since 2005, has written a weekly column for the Daily Record since 2007, is the author of Cloud Computing for Lawyers, co-authors Social Media for Lawyers: the Next Frontier, and co-authors Criminal Law in New York. She’s easily distracted by the potential of bright and shiny tech gadgets, along with good food and wine. You can follow her on Twitter @nikiblack and she can be reached at niki.black@mycase.com.

Topics

, , , ,