Some firms are adding morale in a downturn
What happens when an irresistible force meets an immoveable object? The force in this case is the worst recession in at least 25 years smashing against the immoveable sense of self and ambition of the bright young things drawn to law. Judging by the initial results of Legal Week Intelligence’s annual Employee Satisfaction Survey, the forces are to a considerable extent cancelling each other out; as major law firms have unleashed redundancy rounds and pay freezes, collective satisfaction among junior lawyers isn’t that different to when firms were throwing cash and lifestyle initiatives at the grumbling junior ranks. It seems the realities of recession have dented the confidence – sense of entitlement, even – that was a defining characteristic of Gen Y lawyers. In a market in which most are happy to have a job, they are less likely to complain even as firms treat them with far less generosity.
