Biglaw

Are You Working At A 'Toxic' Biglaw Firm? Survey Says...

Wouldn't it be nicer to work at a firm that's described as 'well-oiled machine' instead?

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What is the culture like at your Biglaw firm? Does everyone seem happy, or are they just pretending and putting on brave faces because they’re being worked to the bone? Do you genuinely like your colleagues and work well with them, or do people feign niceties and communicate with snide remarks, or worse yet, yelling? Thanks to the BTI Consulting Group, we now know what the culture is like across the Biglaw legal community — and at some firms, it is not good.

BTI recently conducted its workplace and attorney satisfaction survey, and after evaluating results from more than 1,000 respondents, the company found four cultures that are prevalent across Biglaw firms. Do any of these cultures sound familiar to you?

The Toxic Workplace
Trust is scarce. Attorneys keep their distance. Partners work together only if they have to — the same goes for associates — they don’t trust each other to help with work or share stresses and experiences. Partners resent firm interference with their clients. Fortunately, only 10.1% of firms receive this distinction from their attorneys.

The Well-Oiled Machine
At the other end of the spectrum — 12.1% excel with seamless collaboration and information sharing. Partners are in synch — so associates feel in synch.

You find ongoing information sharing about client, legal, and workplace issues — all serving to build attorney knowledge bases they can use in client work and business development. Attorneys offer up thoughts and ideas routinely — it’s part of the DNA.

The Machine
The largest group at 47.5% leans towards working together — but often needs a catalyst to make it happen. These catalysts include transactional work, large litigation, a partner seeking another out, pitches, and large client defections.

This group of firms has the building blocks to become a well-oiled machine.

The Siloed
30.3% report uneven cooperation. There is little in the way of active sharing between practice groups. Some attorneys in this cohort report being envious of the groups with more sharing than their own.

The majority of attorneys are working at firms best described as “machines,” while just over 12% of lawyers are working at “well-oiled machines.” Thankfully, only about 10% of attorneys find themselves working in truly toxic environments.

Which of these cultures describes your law firm?

10.1% of Attorneys Report Toxic Culture; How Many Are Great? [BTI Consulting Group]

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Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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