We speak to a whole range of people and we liaise with a whole range of firms.
Sometimes people can get stuck in the rhythm of a certain firm and feel there is no escape and no alternative. Is this true?
This month: Personality fit, your firm and you
Firms come in as many personalities as you find in people. After all, a firm’s ideals and objectives are made of their constituent parts, their people.
I have spoken people who completed their training contracts at top rated firms and felt that they barely survived it. The culture was all wrong for them, and they have since settled at smaller firms with a more hands on, family feel.
Equally I have spoken to people who having qualified at a smaller family firm have felt that it wasn’t until they joined a larger firm that they felt they really flourished.
Some firms are more corporate in their approach, some are more laid back. Does your firm haul over the coals for getting in five minutes late, despite the fact you are regularly in the office until 7-8pm? Or do they take a more pragmatic approach?
Some offer a work hard, play hard feel whilst others are about going in, doing a good job and then going home to enjoy your private life. Approaches to home working, office hours, flexibility and part time working all vary firm by firm and it is this culture of a firm which, day to day, matters at least as much as your remuneration or your client work.
As a third party we hear the “good, bad and ugly” of all the law firms and can form an unbiased view. As part of any career discussion we are happy to share what we know about the ‘feel’ of local firms. So if you think that law firms are all the same then we will be happy to prove you wrong!
