Are you fighting for survival at your firm?
The recession has brought about a lot of changes to the legal sector – and led to a myriad of internal battles in many law firms. The big picture is that firms have been forced to reconsider their structures, pricing and business development strategies in order to get through the difficult times. The smaller picture is internal conflicts fuelled by insufficient volumes of work (which do not allow everyone to achieve even the most modest targets), variable quality of work and, more generally, a deep-set insecurity about the future. Office battles, unlike street fights, are of a covert nature. But they are no less bloody. They have affected lawyers of various levels of experience - from trainees to senior associates and partners. In some instances they have gone way beyond what can be described as ‘healthy competition’.
See if you can relate to a couple of examples. Firstly, there is great concern about the number of jobs available this year at NQ level. There is fierce competition for the few positions available - and a lingering perception among some trainees that not everyone competes fairly. This breeds stress, anxiety and low morale.
