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2 in 5 lawyers have reduced workload in wake of COVID-19
Research exclusive to Lawyers Weekly has found that a troubling number of lawyers have seen a decrease in their workloads, with many also fearing for their future workload.
Jerome Doraisamy
To understand how the measures are being digested across the Australian marketplace, Lawyers Weekly’s sister brand My Business commissioned Momentum Intelligence to create an ongoing survey of a cross-section of Australian business owners and employees – including those operating in the business of law.
A total of 6,740 responses were received, and the results were evenly weighted across each industry.
As reported on Monday by Lawyers Weekly, the survey found that 72 per cent of lawyers are satisfied with the government’s handling of the pandemic thus far, while 18 per cent are neutral and 10 per cent are dissatisfied.
Current and future workloads
Respondents identifying as legal professionals were 1,175 persons, comprised of business owners, directors, senior managers, principals, C-suite execs, employees, retirees and unemployed.
When asked how workload has been affected by the global coronavirus pandemic to date, 38 per cent of lawyers said their workload had reduced. Just over one-quarter (27 per cent) of lawyers said that their workload had increased, while 35 per cent said they had not noticed any change to their workload in this time.
Looking ahead, the findings painted a somewhat bleak picture of what will be on the desks of lawyers.
Thirty-seven per cent of legal respondents said that they believe their workloads will decrease over the next three months, as a result of the pandemic. Only one in five (21 per cent) lawyers said they believe their workloads will increase in the coming quarter, and 42 said that they expect their workloads will remain the same in that time.
Industry comparison
The impact of COVID-19 on the workloads of lawyers made for an interesting contrast to peers in other sectors.
While lawyers have been significant decreases in their workloads compared to accountants and financial services professionals (13 per cent and 16 per cent respectively), fewer lawyers have seen such decreases relative to the property sector, where 43 per cent of mortgage and finance brokers and 51 per cent of real estate agents have seen drops in their work. The aviation industry has taken the biggest hit, however, with 65 per cent of professionals reporting decreases in workload.
When predicting future workloads, however, lawyers are the most pessimistic of the industries surveyed: mortgage and finance brokers (36 per cent foreseeing decreases) and real estate agents (33 per cent) were comparable to lawyers, but elsewhere, defence industry (12 per cent foreseeing drops in workload) and financial services professionals (13 per cent) appear to be more confident about their future workload prospects.
More about the survey
The dynamic COVID-19 Business Confidence Survey serves as a barometer of how businesses, and working Australians, are adapting to the changed working and social environment throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
This will enable us to map attitudes, confidence and business activities as they evolve by market sectors revealing which industries and professions are adapting most effectively to the “new normal”.
The first instalment of the survey report is expected to be released next week.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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