It doesn t take that much time to suggest sitting down and going over problems with a brief instead of berating an associate, Rush says. We find that the associates who can t wait to leave the firm are the ones who are constantly being belittled. The issues go way beyond partner and associate relations, says Wilkins. I think the current organizational structure at law firms isn t working well for anyone, he adds. It isn t working well for associates, and it s arguably not working well for partners who are working longer and longer hours.
Partners are under extreme pressures to produce revenue and billing.
It s quite rare to find partners who aren t billing close to as many hours as associates if you include the major role of the partner, which is the generation of business. Sometimes that occurs on the golf course, but that s still working time. What has also complicated matters is that firms are at the constant beck and call of clients, who all want things done yesterday. The reality is that technological advances have made it easier than ever for clients to make demands, says Herschlein. This feeds a never-ending cycle of competition.