Young attorneys prompt need for firms
to explore new ways of doing business
By Melody Finnemore

Clifton Molatore knew early in his legal career that he wasn’t satisfied at the large Los Angeles law firm where his employer expected him to rack up billable hours.

"Moving to the Northwest was a lifestyle change for me," says the 30-year-old associate at Portland’s Miller Nash law firm. "At Miller Nash, while there is an emphasis on working hard and doing a good job, there is also an emphasis on spending time with family. It’s very family-friendly and it’s also got a very collegial feel, which was important to me."

Molatore is among a growing number of young attorneys who define their career goals based on the amount of time they have for family, hobbies, pro bono work and other personal pursuits. A better life/work balance is considered essential by Generation Y professionals, also called "Millennials" because the first wave graduated from college in 2000. Such priorities often set younger associates apart from older colleagues and law-firm partners.

"My dad was viewed as the breadwinner and my mom was the homemaker, so my dad worked all day and when he got home he was done," Molatore says. "I want to get home and spend time with my child and be as involved in her upbringing as I can, and I think a lot of male attorneys I work with feel that way, too. It’s not that we think our dads did a poor job, it’s just a cultural shift."

In order to spend more time at home, Millennials often seek more flexible work schedules. It’s a workplace trend driven in large part by families in which both parents work and share responsibility for raising children. This desire for flexibility also applies to networking with clients and socializing with colleagues, Molatore says.

"I know a lot of people I work with, including myself, who would rather be at home with their families than go out for drinks in the evening," he says. "That’s not to say I don’t network or see the value of it. It’s just that I’d rather do it during the day than in the evenings."

While many Millennials view flexibility as critical when it comes to work schedules and networking responsibilities, they stand firm on one point: They are intent on ensuring their careers don’t dominate their lives — a major philosophical shift from their older counterparts.

"We’re viewed as slackers and as though we don’t want to work hard, especially by the Baby Boomer generation, which I don’t think is a fair assessment," Molatore says. "The Baby Boomers seem to be driven to make as much money as possible. I think our generation is willing to work just as hard, but we’re not driven by money. Our priorities are more about family or time to enjoy other activities."

Lisa LeSage, assistant dean of business law programs at Lewis & Clark College’s Northwestern School of Law, said Molatore’s sentiments are echoed by the hundreds of law students she interacts with each year. She sees first-hand the correlation between the way the Millennials were raised and how it impacts their learning styles and, eventually, their work styles.

"This is a generation that has grown up in a structured, collaborative learning environment and has a team-building mentality," LeSage says, noting many Millennials were enrolled in daycare at an early age and participated in several extracurricular activities as children. "I think one of the things that is difficult for law firms is that this generation is seen as needing to be hand-held. However, because there’s this collaborative culture we have an opportunity to mentor in a way we were never mentored."

Because of their collaborative upbringing, law students of the Millennial generation thrive on interactive lessons and working on projects in small groups. Approaches to teaching have evolved as a result.

"We have to look at new ways of teaching things. I’ve taught for the last 15 years and my teaching methods have changed drastically," LeSage says, adding lessons are much more hands-on and often take place outside the classroom. "The substance is still there and I think it’s made teaching more exciting than 10 or 15 years ago."

Technological advances also have impacted teaching methods. It’s not uncommon, LeSage says, for a two-hour class to incorporate video, the Internet, a PowerPoint presentation and a blackboard.

"It’s a generation that has grown up with a wide range of technology; they are very comfortable with it and they expect to receive information in a lot of different ways," she says. "I correspond with students by email and have found that it engages people who might not be as comfortable speaking up in class or may learn better in a different way."

The tech-savvy Millennials’ preferences are evident at Willamette University’s law school as well.

"We have a really nice resource library that is filled with books, magazines and other printed materials, and they don’t use it. If they can’t find it on the Internet, then they come to me and I recommend a book," says Phylis Myles, the law school’s director of career services.

While previous generations of attorneys hoped to join large firms upon graduation, many Millennials are loaded with debt and see working for a large firm as a stepping stone that allows them to pay off student loans and gain experience to increase their marketability. They hope to eventually move on to smaller and mid-sized firms, nonprofit organizations or government agencies. Working in a large firm means adjustments — and challenges — for some young associates, Myles says.

"I worry about burnout during that commitment. Some people thrive in that environment and do well there, but if they aren’t meant for that, it may be really difficult for them," she says.

Law students at the University of Oregon, while often voicing their desire for better life/work balance, realize quickly they must temper their expectations with economic realities, says Jane Steckbeck, assistant director for career services.

"I hear students talk about quality of life and not wanting to work a 90-hour work week, as they put it. I don’t see that they are able to do that in reality, but this group wants to make that happen for themselves," she says. "For many students, when they look at their debt load their eyes go wide and they say, ‘Oh my God, I’ll take whatever job I can get.’"

Regardless of where they work, today’s younger associates seem to crave more opportunities for professional development and community service. They also don’t hesitate to explore career options if they aren’t satisfied.

"This generation is very open to change and may not even be in law for their whole life, let alone with the same law firm. It used to be that you joined a firm and worked there for 30 or 40 years. That is not the way young attorneys see it today," says Lewis & Clark’s LeSage.

For law firms, the erosion of employee loyalty is one of several challenges they face when it comes to new associates.

"From the firm’s perspective that is difficult because we really try to invest in our associates with the idea that one day they will be a partner. When that doesn’t turn out to be the fact, it’s very disruptive. Turnover isn’t the greatest thing, but we deal with it," says Mary Ann Frantz, a partner at Miller Nash.

However, firms can decrease such defections by offering a range of opportunities and training exercises so younger associates constantly learn and hone their skills, says LeSage. "I think law firms also can enlist these new associates in the governance of the firm and in the retention of clients and other associates. The firms that recognize that are on the cutting edge."

Miller Nash, Tonkin Torp and Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt are among the large Portland firms that have recognized the shift in generational attitudes and addressed the differences by offering more formalized professional development programs. These include mentoring opportunities, in-house CLE courses and business training workshops. Such investments aim to cultivate a new cadre of leaders, despite the trend away from long-term commitments on the part of new associates.

"Over time you can kind of see if it’s going to work out or not, but we’re always striving to help people realize their full potential," Frantz says.

Loree Devery, Tonkin Torp’s manager of attorney recruiting and professional development, says she also has witnessed changes in how the firm encourages its associates to grow.

"We really try to teach what it means to be a lawyer and how to grow as a lawyer by creating success and satisfaction in your career. If lawyers feel the firm is invested in their career and professional development, they will be less likely to take their skills and talents to another firm or organization," she says.

The firm also utilizes its pro bono program as a key recruiting tool for the growing number of law school graduates interested in such opportunities.

"Students see a law firm’s commitment to pro bono not only as a way to give back to the community but as a way to give lawyers experience they might not otherwise get. It’s a great learning opportunity," Devery says.

Mark Long, managing partner at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, says the firm’s professional development leader works with younger associates on topics ranging from how to optimize their advancement within the firm to negotiating office politics. The firm also attempts to provide young associates with mentorship opportunities through interaction with partners and transparency in operations, he says.

"Being in an organization that is growing is a challenge to anyone who wants to feel like a part of that organization. We’ve always had an emphasis on substantive training in the form of CLEs or seminars, and now that’s split with more in-house practical training," Long says. "It’s a journey and we’re learning as we go."

Just as law firms are seeking ways to accommodate new work styles and priorities, the Oregon State Bar’s New Lawyers Division has made adjustments as well. The Millennials’ desire for a better life/work balance has impacted not only the way young associates approach their work, but also their community service.

"Younger lawyers have always been a great source of volunteer energy, but even the way they volunteer is shifting," says Christine Meadows, the division’s chair and a shareholder at Jordan Schrader. "They want to be much more directly involved in service, so they would rather work directly with a family in need than serve on a board that helps families in need."

And, because time is such a valuable commodity, the New Lawyers Division has adjusted its expectations for participation.

"We have more people participating on a project-by-project basis, and there’s been much more of a shift to meetings that address projects instead of meeting every month no matter what’s going on," Meadows says. "People feel like their time is being spent in a very productive and valuable way rather than having regular meetings like we did in the past."

In addition, younger volunteers are very motivated and want to get to work on a project immediately rather than spending a lot of time meeting about it. "Trying to keep them engaged so they don’t lose interest is always a challenge," Meadows says.

Opportunities to interact with people who are culturally diverse is another key priority for Millennials, according to Paul Burton, a former Portland attorney who now serves as a professional development consultant for other law firms.

"They are the most culturally diverse group ever, and 92 percent say they have friends of another race — not acquaintances, but friends," he says. "Their global viewpoint also is much broader because they grew up with the Internet."

While the generational differences between the Millennials and their older counterparts may seem to divide them into separate worlds, generational traits tend to be cyclical and the Millennials bear a striking resemblance to the "GI Generation" born during the early 1900s, Burton says.

"This generation will mimic the GI Generation in many ways, and it’s already happening. This generation has seen war and its kids are being killed in the war," he says. "They also have a lot of institutional trust and have far more respect for leadership than their predecessors, so they will be looking to firms for guidance in their practice."

Firms can successfully bridge the generation gap by providing such guidance for a generation that values opportunities for mentorship, collaboration and innovative ways to balance personal and professional interests.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melody Finnemore is a Portland-based freelance writer and a frequent contributor to the Bulletin.

© 2005 Melody Finnemore

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