He was recruited as a very senior director in a very large City law firm. His work went well but the thing that really bugged him was the pass he had to show every time he went into the staff restaurant. The words ‘non-lawyer’ were printed on the face of it (for non-lawyer, read ‘second-class citizen’).
Demonstrating examples of discrimination and distrust from the profound to (in this case) the silly, law firms have been regarded as dangerous (and, perhaps worse, daft) territory for professional managers. Heaven knows how many of these talented people decide not to enter the sector but we do know that, among those who enter the den, their tenure will be short. Marketers last an average of 2.4 years in the same firm, according to research from recruitment consultancy First Counsel. Finance people make it to 3.3 years. Interestingly, almost all then stay in the professions, suggesting that the job is great but moving is the only way to obtain roles that match enhanced skills and experience.
