Mercy. Could this be true: Money is no longer the lure that keeps lawyers tethered to Big Law? In the age of COVID, what lawyers (particularly lawyers who are parents) want/need/crave are moral support, compassion and empathy.

Well, that’s what we’re hearing these days. Recently, Whittney Beard and Malini Nangia, career coaches at Volta Talent Strategies, wrote that 45% of lawyer respondents in their study wanted “demonstrated empathy and understanding from law firm leaders/partners.” That was the top response to the question, “If you could ask your employer for the support you need now, without fear of judgment or a negative impact on your career, what would you ask for?” (In that same study, 28% wanted suspension of billable hours during the pandemic and 27% wanted “reduced hours with no reduction in pay.”)