Taking Back Control: How Can We Keep Lawyers in the Law?

After analysing LawCare’s groundbreaking Life in the Law report, the headlines made for dire reading, the most hard-hitting of which was that 32% of respondents were considering leaving the legal sector entirely within the next five years. We are presenting a wholly unsustainable future, not just to aspiring lawyers, but to anyone currently working in the law. How can the UK continue to set the benchmark for the world’s legal services? For me the answer is simple. Culture is the key for law firm leaders, and for everyone in the sector, taking stock of your career at different moments, understanding what your definition of success looks like and ultimately matching your goals to fit that definition is key. You are in control of your professional destiny.

So much is made anecdotally about technological advancements reshaping the industry and the ways lawyers work, but having lived through so many of these paradigm shifts, the dot com bubble, the introduction of emails and now the adoption of AI, it is never the technology that creates the issue. Instead, technology only exacerbates the question we all ask ourselves which is, “where do I fit?” Finding your place is the most important part for any career, not just in the law. Whether that place is amongst the changes in technology, or simply finding a workplace that aligns with your goals.

Finding my place is something that I always kept in my mind as I progressed in my career. I tried the traditional route to partnership, having worked at international firms and leading teams, but the higher up I progressed, the less contact I had with clients. The relationships I had worked so hard to build were no longer a priority. As a result, leaving traditional law was the route I chose to take and instead chose to adopt the consultancy approach. This allowed more time with clients and to provide a better service, but what I didn’t account for was the lack of team culture I had as a consultant. It can be, and for some still is, a lonely place. I missed the camaraderie and the feeling of a collection of like-minded people working towards the same goals. Being part of a team was a huge motivator for me and not having people to bounce off I found difficult. There needed to be a middle ground, somewhere that combined the consultancy approach with a focus on creating a team culture among the individuals within it. That’s why Anna Beaumont and I created Bexley Beaumont, to fill that gap in between the two approaches.

A lack of options for lawyers can drive talent away from the sector. People change, goals change, life happens, and the legal sector hasn’t always had enough alternatives to accommodate those who don’t conform to the conveyor belt that the traditional pathway offers. By no means is the traditional route a bad option, it just isn’t the right one for everyone. Likewise, Bexley Beaumont isn’t the right fit for everyone who is considering consultancy. There is space for all to coexist, and collaboration over competition is the way forwards.

56% of those in the legal sector could see themselves leaving their current workplace in the next five years, a shocking statistic on the face of it, but that is an opportunity. The challenge is to help find the right places in the legal sector for people looking for new opportunities. As leaders when we can understand the nuances of each other’s firms and the benefits that each of our approaches can provide, we can create a network of like-minded workplaces that prioritises the needs of the individual, as well as those of our firms. This doesn’t just apply to the fee-share approach though, a transition to specialist firms, in-house roles or even non-fee-earning roles may be the best fit. The first step to producing this from a leader’s perspective is the ability to have empathy, understanding that it is perfectly okay for people to realign their career goals and then supporting them on their journey where it is possible. Communication is key and a collaborative approach is the best way to tackle this statistic.

Changing a role isn’t the only way to improve retention within the legal profession, however. Not everyone is looking for that new opportunity and with 60% of respondents reporting poor mental wellbeing in the workplace, so much needs to be done internally to promote a culture of care. LawCare has five key points to help manage wellbeing in legal workplaces, some of which I can’t comment on, as Bexley Beaumont’s model empowers lawyers to manage their own workloads, providing flexibility for when, where and how lawyers work. What I can comment on though is managing people and mental health specific programmes, which ultimately boil down to workplace culture. Culture is built upon shared experiences; I have seen that first-hand when building the team at Bexley Beaumont.

It is so important to maintain connection for those with shared experiences, and for many, shared experiences are based on how long you have spent in the sector. I would like to see a stronger alumni programme where we can connect lawyers at different stages of PQE, at five-year intervals, starting with the day individuals are admitted as a solicitor. They say a problem shared is a problem halved, so when you can build a community of like-minded individuals, the burden is often lifted, and new solutions can arise.

We have dedicated mental first aiders in the support team at Bexley Beaumont (including myself), so we are trained to spot the signs of high stress, and crucially our partnership as a founding member of LawCare’s 25 Club shows our commitment to the importance of the work LawCare undertakes. We include LawCare as one of the resources we share with lawyers to signpost to get support if needed. Having people who care is the first step to building this culture, and the report is right, being a great lawyer does not automatically make you a great manager or team member, so the more we do to facilitate a culture with caring at its core, the better existing workplaces will be for the team members in it.

Retaining talent in the law is a two-way street, firms have a huge role to play and as law firm leaders and managers, it is crucial that care is put at the top of the agenda, and the right tools and training are provided to those who have the right skillset. We should also be prepared to build teams that align with the culture of those within it. Equally though the responsibility lies with the individual. Culture is dictated by people, and you should be prepared to take control of your own career by finding a workplace that aligns with your own culture and definition of success.

For further information, please contact Karen: karenbexley@bexleybeaumont.com  |  07971 859332