The Millennial Lawyer: How Your Firm Can Motivate and Retain Young Associates

by John Box

Overview

With Millennials set to become almost half of the U.S. workforce by 2020, those firms that understand how to connect with and motivate Millennials will benefit from an inspired and harmonious workforce.
Author JP Box offers his experiences as a Millennial practicing law to help frame the generational divides that lead to misunderstandings between associates and partners, to illuminate the Millennial mindset, and help law firms understand how to connect with, motivate, and retain the very best millennial attorneys.
Drawing from a reservoir of exhaustive research into the Millennial generation and relying upon his experiences as an attorney, the author identifies commonly held Millennial values and explores how law firms can incorporate those values into their culture to attract, motivate, and retain their top young lawyers. Those values include:
• The Ability to Blend Work and Life Together• The Allure of Flat Hierarchies• The Desire to Make Immediate Contributions• The Critical Role of Mentorship• The Value and Importance of Collaboration• The Strong Preference for Great Experiences Over High Pay• The Belief in Doing Well by Doing Good
The good news is that law firms can attract, motivate, and retain Millennial associates by creating environments where everyone—from Boomer and Generation X partners to Millennial associates—works together effectively and harmoniously. This book explores how firms can transform generational divides into strengths; how they can unlock the talents and passions of a new generation of lawyers eager to contribute; and how they can boost their firm’s retention rates and productivity by simply understanding the Millennial mindset.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641050388
Publisher:	American Bar Association
Publication date:	10/02/2018
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	6.94(w) x 10.08(h) x 0.42(d)

About the Author

Author JP Box offers his experiences as a Millennial practicing law to help frame the generational divides that lead to misunderstandings between associates and partners, to illuminate the Millennial mindset, and help law firms understand how to connect with, motivate, and retain the very best millennial attorneys.

Table of Contents

Preface: My Story as a Millennial Lawyer vii

Part I Introduction to the Millennial Generation

Chapter 1 Who Are the Millennials? 3

The Big Three Generations in the Workforce 3

The Rise of Millennials in the Labor Force 5

So, Who Are Millennials Really? 8

Part II The Mindset of the Millennial Lawyer

Chapter 2 The Ability to Blend Work and Life Together 15

Embrace Work-Life Blend, Forget Work-Life Balance 15

So, What Does Work-Life Blend Look Like? 18

How Does Work-Life Blend Improve Productivity at Your Law Firm? 33

What Does Work-Life Blend Look Like on an Average Day? 35

Chapter 3 The Allure of Flat Hierarchies 37

Millennials Think Horizontally, Not Vertically 37

So, What Does a Horizontal Workplace Look Like? 44

How to Embrace a Flatter Hierarchy 45

Promote Transparency and Eschew Secrecy in Your Firm's Flatter Hierarchy 47

Chapter 4 The Desire to Make Immediate Contributions 51

A Very Confident Generation 51

Where Does This Confidence Come From? 55

Critical for Firms to Take Advantage of This Confidence 57

Chapter 5 The Critical Role of Mentorship 63

Not as Independent as Gen Xers or Boomers: Millennials Need Guidance 64

So, What Does Effective Mentorship Look Like? 66

Help Your Associates Grow, Learn from Mistakes, and Thrive 75

Chapter 6 The Value and Importance of Collaboration 79

The "Let's Do It" Together Generation 79

So, How Can Your Firm Promote Collaboration? 83

What Will Stunt Collaboration? 89

Chapter 7 The Strong Preference for Great Experience over High Pay 93

Paying Your Associates More Money Ensures Neither Happiness nor Commitment 94

Millennials Value Great Experiences over High Pay 96

Millennials Want Their Paychecks to Buy Experiences, Not Things 100

Millennials' Love for Experiences Isn't Something New 108

Chapter 8 The Relief in Doing Well by Doing Good 111

The Verdict Is In: Millennials Work for a Higher Purpose 114

Focus on the Practice of Law, Not the Business of Law 115

Establish a Culture of Doing Good 120

Part III The Millennial Opportunity

Chapter 9 Legal Industry on the Precipice of Profound Change 127

Internal Pressures Pushing Law Firms to Change 129

External Pressures Pushing Law Firms to Change 133

The Millennial Opportunity 136

Chapter 10 Immediate Steps Your Firm Can Take to Connect with, Inspire, and Motivate the Millennial Generation 139

The Short Answer: How to Attract, Motivate, and Retain Millennial Associates 140

Bonus Step: Draft a Firm Charter Incorporating the Core Principles of the Millennial Mindset and Answering the Question: Why? 143

Part IV Conclusion

A Day in the Life of a Millennial-Friendly Law Firm 151

Epilogue: An Open Letter to the Lawyers of Tomorrow 157

Index 163