5 Many firms have raised the number of hours an attorney is expected to bill as a result of the new, high salaries. 6 Law firms feel caught in the scramble to attract the best legal talent. They point out that their recruitment of attorneys right out of law school is determined in significant part by the standard form they fill out at law schools in order to gain permission to interview students. The form contains a single line for the initial starting salary, and another box to check off whether or not the firm has a part-time policy. The incentives for law firms are to post as high an initial salary as possible, and to provide a standard part-time policy without much attention to whether attorneys feel free to use it.
Law firms are already aware, and concerned, about the high levels of attrition among young lawyers.
Commercial seminars on how to stem attrition are very popular. Of particular concern is the high rates of attrition among women attorneys. More than 85 percent of law firm partners are still men. But now. . . we know better. Moreover, the situation may not be improving.