Clara Rose Consultancy

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Achieving a higher salary/ better benefits package

Following on from last month and the feedback from the recent Lexis Nexis report into the legal profession This month I wanted to address money!

This month: Achieving a higher salary/ better benefits package

This is a big one, perceived by many as the ultimate driver,
71% of people stated that an increased salary would keep them in a role.
69% of legal associate/ senior associate saying that they would move for a higher salary.

Having worked as a legal recruiter and head-hunter for over 15 years now I can honestly say that when people come to me asking for a new role only because they want a higher salary then it is hard to help them. Where someone’s only consideration is money it is almost impossible to find a firm that fits, or understand what culture they are looking for. Even if you just look at the biggest, highest paying firms in their location then the match is unlikely to work. Not least presenting at interview and stating that you are only looking for more money won’t wash with many interviewers!

Invariably it is more nuanced and in truth there are aspects of the role, your quality of work, your colleagues, managers, lack of appreciation or lack of positive feedback that are not sitting right with you. The focus is really why you are now looking for more money to make it worth your while.

Any role has to be ‘worth the money’ so if you feel that you are paid a pittance you are not going to give it 100%. Likewise if you are paid top end of the market, and you know it, longer hours will feel like they are the investment for that increased reward.

As is always the case it is about your own personal balance, where do you put the emphasis in terms of time and money? And don’t forget this inevitably will change over the course of a career, so keep a watch for when you feel the balance getting out of kilter for you.

As most firms have finished with promotions and pay reviews now, do get in touch if you are feeling overlooked, like your salary is not keeping up with the market or just to determine whether you are inline with the rest of your local market.

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Most important aspects in a legal career

Looking at the latest Lexis Nexis report on associates and senior associates has got me thinking, about the 3 areas which come up time and time again, in terms of importance for people working at that level within law firms.

Top reasons for moving: 71% most important factor is work life balance, with 69% wanting higher salary/ better package and 36% selected career development.

The same three reasons, are the reasons that people would stay, just in a different order, increased money first (71%), then joint second (36%) Better work life balance; better career progression.

Over the next few months I will look at each of these in turn.

This month: Focus on Work / Life balance

Work life balance is a personal choice. How do you approach it to be sure that individuals are not taking advantage of a firm, or on the other end of the spectrum to ensure that firms are not grinding their fee earners into mental health problems?

The fact is that everyone is different, everyone has a different level of tolerance, resilience and all approach things differently. A quick task for someone who likes to fly through drafting a document, might take someone who is overly cautious with meticulous attention to detail a long time, even if they are told not to take too long. They key is to think about each person in a team and help them to perform to their strengths. Within a team you need people with different strengths to ensure all angles of a task are met. I employ some fantastic attention to detail administrators to ensure that my systems are run smoothly and routinely without having to remember everything as I jump from task to task. This provides balance within the team.

Looking at one person and the balance in their life is again very much a personal thing. Whereas one person will appear to glide over difficulties in life, another person might seem to stumble on the smallest hurdle. That is the uniqueness of people and the experiences they bring to a role come from their whole life, not just their working world. Again there needs to be the ability to look at each individual and see how they work best, without changing all the rules or systems to suit them, they need to be supported within the structure that is there.

It can be a really political part of running a firm, but open and honest discussion and appreciation of others is the starting point to ensure that everyone is happy and performing well, in roles they enjoy, with the balance that they need for their life.

Finding your own work life balance within a team, role and firm is a keen consideration in your legal career and one that can change dramatically from firm to firm.

Drop me a line if you feel that the balance is wrong in your life and we can talk about the variety and options out there for you.