Lawyers Weekly recently published the Top 25 Attraction Firms ranking for 2021, which forms part of the annual Legal Firm of Choice Survey, gauging the most sought-after private legal practices across the country. This year, 892 legal professionals responded to the survey.

As part of that research, conducted by Momentum Intelligence in conjunction with Lawyers Weekly, survey respondents provided insights into how well they think their firms are performing on metrics, including but not limited to culture, communication, quality of leadership, career progression, and support for holistic wellbeing.

Last month, Lawyers Weekly detailed how happy lawyers are about their pay and rewards at present.

On the question of communication – that is, do lawyers across the board approve of how their firms have communicated with them during the past year, and/or how well they communicate about issues of importance – respondents appear to have varying levels of satisfaction, depending on job title and years of experience.

While those at the partner/principal level are overwhelmingly happy with how well their firms communicate (87 per cent), mirrored by all professionals with more than 10 years of experience (84 per cent), those more junior are somewhat less content.

One quarter (23 per cent) of those with between one and six years of PQE are not satisfied with the quality of communication from their firms, with 24 per cent of those at the associate or senior associate level and 23 per cent of special counsel indicating as such.

Four in five graduates (79 per cent) and those with less than one year of PQE (86 per cent) are happy with the communication from their firms, but – as aforementioned – that satisfaction drops off in the subsequent early years of one’s career.

VIEW ALL

As lawyers get closer to partner/principal level, however, their satisfaction with communication appears to improve, with just 18 per cent of those with seven to 10 years of PQE not satisfied.

Among lawyers who indicated in the survey that they plan to leave their current employers, one-third (36 per cent) do not approve of their firm’s performance on communication, while 86 per cent of those planning to stay are happy with the communication from their firms.

There was no discernible difference between men and women in how well they think their employers are communicating, with approval of 80 per cent and 82 per cent, respectively.

Interestingly, paralegals (88 per cent) and those in non-lawyer roles (83 per cent) appear largely happy with firms’ communication.

Following the release of the Top 25 ranking, Lawyers Weekly spoke with Herbert Smith Freehills about why they are the most sought-after firm this year, how Ashurst has maintained its position near the top of the list, and why NewLaw firms like LegalVision are seen as increasingly attractive vocational options.