Law firms are in a bind.
But the ballooning demand for lawyers and paralegal staff in business, and workers' desires for more work-life balance, have turned traditional law firms upside down. Today's attorneys have more options. They can follow the traditional law firm track of putting in an enormous number of hours for years in the hope of becoming a partner with the security of a guaranteed high income for the rest of their lives, an effort that can leave them out in the cold if they are not one of the chosen. They can earn their stripes for a couple of years at a law firm, then jump to a startup where they walk the tightrope of seeing it fold or, if they're lucky, becoming very rich very fast. These new options have created more opportunities for legal staffing firms.