Associates Need A Break From Their Billables, But Can Biglaw Firms Offer Realistic Work-Life Balance Solutions?

// Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.

You would think that when firms are a little slower, that’s when programs would proliferate, but I’ve found the opposite. Firms are not as eager to make sure associates are staying if they don’t want to play by the same rules, but in very busy times like we saw in 2021, firms will do things outside the box to try to attract people.

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— Legal recruiter Michelle Fivel of Hatch Henderson Fivel, in comments given to the American Lawyer on Biglaw firms’ tendency to introduce work-life balance programs and policies during their busiest times (i.e., when firms are least able to fulfill their promises and associates are least able to take advantage of them). Attorneys across the board seem to want reduced workloads and time away from their crushing billable hour expectations, but few firms are able to deliver the desired respite.

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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Biglaw, Quote of the Day, Work-life balance