Not only has law firm life changed for partners in terms of its safety, security and certainty, but there is an entirely new breed of quality associates out there that needs to be understood and appreciated. The care, nurturing and retention of associates, critical elements in every law firm’s success, are the focus of this article.
If you were a “typical” partner of a major New York or national law firm not so many years ago, your career was tough, but your choices along the way were relatively simple and few. You would go to a fine law school if you could, hope to get a choice job as an associate at a major firm, work never-ending hours, try to become the best lawyer you could be and get paid better than most of your friends. If you were lucky, after seven to 10 years of this, a plum partnership would be waiting at the end of the rainbow, with guaranteed financial success until you retired and received the gold watch.
