Running a law firm is like running any other business. Law firms must balance client demand for legal services with attorney demand for quality of work and life. With a recent apparent attitudinal shift, attorney and paraprofessional staff values appear juxtaposed with client demands. Combine demographic realities faced by all workforces and a paradigm shift emerges. The provision of professional services to the public is changing, in part due to a cultural shift in consumer attitudes and in part due to changing realities of demands on limited time. Law firms need to recognize this new reality and take proactive steps in order to attract and keep talent and clients alike.

Demand for Work/Life Balance

Does this sound familiar: You finish an employee’s favorable annual review, complete with a raise and bonus, only to have the employee say something along the lines of “the extra money is great but I’d really rather have additional leave time.”