Assistants’ survey in association with Hays Legal
Legal Week’s Assistants’ Survey (September 2007), in association with Hays Legal, covers a wide array of topical issues facing lawyers today and provides a firm-by-firm breakdown of salaries and benefits. A summary of this follows.
A comprehensive advice section about dealing with specialist legal recruitment firms – written by Dan Wilkins, director of Hays Legal – is also included.
Partnerships – a changing landscape
The opportunities available to lawyers have never been greater. The market is candidate-led and this has forced firms to review and enhance their reward packages to recruit and retain the best talent.
Only one in 10 trainees now make it to partnership level taking them an average of almost nine years to reach the pinnacle of their profession as calculated in 2007. Compare this to just over eight years in 2004.
Of the research’s many conclusions, this is unquestionably the most revealing. Partnership status is not only a) a less realistic but also b) a less sought-after goal.
As partnership becomes the preserve of fewer people, firms have stared to come up with alternative career paths and we have seen a plethora of new roles in the last few years, amongst them ‘counsel’, ‘of counsel’, ‘senior associate’ and ‘director’.
Work-life: redressing the balance
The question of work-life balance has assumed great importance over the last 10 years and has sparked a noticeable shift in priorities.
Firms are having to look closely at their benefits packages. Katherine Gower, senior consultant at Hays Legal says that the staple package typically offered – pension, health insurance, enhanced maternity pay and season ticket loan – is ‘increasingly expected rather than appreciated’.
Firms are responding and empowering their employees by offering a wider choice of benefits. These include and are not limited to bikes4work scheme, onsite massage, coaching and lifestyle management and a virtual shopping village. Some even offer ice cream on hot days and a shoeshine service.
Is making flexible requests detrimental to your career prospects? This question appears to be a common concern among lawyers.
Management training
Annual research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has revealed a strong correlation between an employee’s relationship with their line manager and their decision to ultimately remain in their job or move elsewhere.
If good management is so fundamental to retention success, why are only 29% of line managers sent on compulsory management courses?
Appreciation and recognition
Involving assistants in management issues is also recognised as an effective way in stemming attrition rates, as these employees are stakeholders in their firms and should be treated as such.
Employees also greatly value being appreciated. The two most important aspects of their working lives cited are achievement and recognition of their work and there are constant calls for an improvement in the communication skills of their immediate management.
Read the 
complete survey.
To view the survey, you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download Reader now.
Contact Hays Legal
for further information.
