The American Lawyer Reports Midlevel Associate Satisfaction Drops to Lowest Level in Six Years

Heavy Workloads, Reduced Staffing and Lingering Pay Cuts Rankle Those Who Retained Jobs With Big Law Firms

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Despite retaining gainful employment in a recession and six-figure salaries, mid-level lawyers at the country’s largest law firms don’t feel lucky. In fact, The American Lawyer’s latest Am Law 200 midlevel associate satisfaction survey reveals that overall job satisfaction has dropped to its lowest level since 2004. This year, 109 of the 124 firms that participated in the survey this year and last year saw their average satisfaction ratings drop, while overall scores for 15 big American cities, including the major legal hubs where associates are located, show a downward trend as well. Reasons cited for the increased unhappiness included a failure to regain compensation levels lost to pay cuts in previous years, poor communication and a growing workload, exacerbated by staff cuts. For complete survey results and other stories, visit www.americanlawyer.com.

“This isn’t a happy time at large law firms. Partners are worried about their futures. The business models of some have been badly hurt. It’s no wonder that many associates who have seen their colleagues fired, their replacements deferred, and their bonuses disappear would be more unhappy”

“This isn’t a happy time at large law firms. Partners are worried about their futures. The business models of some have been badly hurt. It’s no wonder that many associates who have seen their colleagues fired, their replacements deferred, and their bonuses disappear would be more unhappy,” said Aric Press, editor in chief of The American Lawyer. “For all that many still reported gratitude for their jobs and their relative security.”

The unease felt by the group isn’t because they fear being pinkslipped. In the 2009 survey, a whopping 83 percent of respondents expressed medium to high anxiety about losing their jobs, but this year nearly 80 percent of survey respondents said they were not worried about being laid off. And of the nearly 69 percent of respondents in this year’s survey who said their firms conducted associate layoffs, 47 percent believed they were spared because of the quality of their work.

Economic recovery may further underline the gap between these associates and their employers. The number of respondents who said they were looking for another job nearly doubled this year, to a little under 16 percent, from around 8 percent in 2009. And the number of respondents who thought they would still be at their firms in five years as an equity partner, nonequity partner, or counsel/senior associate, dropped 9 percent from last year, to just 35 percent.

For the third consecutive year, the 144-attorney Boston-based firm Nutter McClennen & Fish garnered the survey’s highest national ranking score. Nutter McClennen scored well across the board, but its high rating of 4.42 regarding openness about the partnership process stood out.

Some of the biggest leaps in this year’s national ranking were made by large national firms. Kelley Drye & Warren jumped 97 spots, to a rank of 26 on the 2010 survey. Dewey & LeBoeuf made a similar leap, climbing 96 spots, to a ranking of 41. Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker leaped 59 spaces, to the seventh position on the national rankings, while Latham & Watkins rose 57 spots, to a ranking of 22. Texas-based Vinson & Elkins avoided associate layoffs and saw its ranking soar 41 spots, to twenty-third on the list.

The American Lawyer surveyed of 5,092 midlevel associates, attorneys in their third, fourth, and fifth years of practice. The average composite score—which is based on ratings for 12 core questions—fell from 3.897 in 2009 to 3.728 this year.

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