A new survey of Australian lawyers shows that 1 in 5 lawyers are seeking to leave their firms – the flip side being that 4 out of 5 are staying on. But is the statistic a concern, or not for Australian law firms?
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The ninth edition of the Legal Firm of Choice Survey, conducted by Agile Market Intelligence for Lawyers Weekly, sheds light on the career plans of private practice professionals in Australia.
Out of the 401 respondents, 82 percent are not currently planning to leave their firms, indicating improvement from the previous year’s 73 percent. However, 18 percent express intentions to find a new employer.
Notably, 20 percent of male lawyers and 17 percent of female lawyers plan to change employers.
The age group most likely to consider leaving is 30–39, with 25% expressing this intention. Furthermore, lawyers with four to six years of post-qualified experience are notably considering a move, with 24% planning to leave.
Concerning potential destinations, 41 percent of those wanting to leave aim to join another law firm, 12 percent consider a government role, 18 percent prefer an in-house position, 6 percent contemplate starting their own boutique practices, and 24 percent aim to leave the legal profession entirely.
Australian Law Firm Retention Moves
Lawyers Weekly editor Jerome Doraisamy suggests that the 18 percent considering leaving should prompt firms to focus on retaining staff. Efforts to retain legal staff has seen some increased pay and bonuses and extra ‘work life’ advantages offered by law firms.
While acknowledging the challenges, he notes that fewer lawyers express a desire to move on compared to the previous year. Doraisamy emphasizes the importance of understanding lawyers’ unique needs and recommends continuous efforts in communication, culture, leadership, well-being support, and performance recognition for firm leaders in 2024.
