Pay Increases Offered to Retain Staff
Sure, being a lawyer sounds good, but according to the professionals that isn’t always the case.
In an industry more popular for its half-hearted devotion to American humor than its uncanny compliance to survey requests, three surveys released in August suggest attorneys would rather work shorter hours than receive higher pay.
And the pay isn’t bad.
A first-year associate in California can expect to make over $110,000 compared to the industry median of $85,000, according to a survey released by the National Association for Law Placement.
The NALP surveyed the salaries of staff attorneys, law clerks, and associates at firms with just two employees to over 500 employees.
In January, local firm Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP raised first-year associate pay to $125,000 with bonuses that could push salaries to $155,000. The law firm defended the increase by stating tech companies, locally and abroad, were stealing their lawyers with promises of stock options.
– Lawyers Would Reduce Workload
Another survey asked attorneys what one aspect they would change about their jobs.
Almost 34 percent of the lawyers questioned said they worked too much, according to the study by The Affiliates, a national law staffing service with offices in San Diego. The company surveyed 200 attorneys from the nation’s 1,200 largest law firms.
The second largest percentage, 33 percent, of respondents said they would spend fewer hours at work given the chance.
The lowest cited answer, accelerated career growth, finished with 2 percent.
Still another survey suggested 45 percent of attorneys believe the balance between work and personal life was worse than it was five years ago. The Los Angeles-based Spherion Corp. conducted the survey throughout five “major” metropolitan areas during the fall of 1999.
– Perks May Help Improve Morale
“Our study indicates that for legal employers to improve morale and retain their top talent, their human resource strategies must include life balance solutions, such as flexible work schedules, telecommuting, work sabbaticals, on-site day care centers, financial planning, banking and various personal support services,” said Spherion’s Greg Mazares at the time of the study’s release.
But the pay isn’t bad.
