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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
D.C. Law Firms To Get Help Retaining Attorneys
Sloan Foundation Funds The Project for Attorney Retention
Washington, D.C., June 1 -- Lawyers, particularly women and young
associates, are fleeing law firms. The recent hike in associate
salaries has done little to stop the flow, which is due largely to the
attorneys' unwillingness or inability to work the large number of hours
demanded by the law firms. The Project for Attorney Retention (PAR)
aims to help D.C. law firms recruit and retain attorneys through the use
of meaningful reduced-hours programs that allow attorneys a meaningful
life outside of the office and at the same time facilitate professional
success.
The law firms have a strong interest in retaining their attorneys. Not
only does the attrition cost them money -- between 150% and 200% of the salary
of each attorney lost -- but it creates dissatisfaction among clients who resent
the lack of continuity in service. Some law firms have part-time policies
in place, but these are not effective in retaining attorneys because law firm
culture frequently penalizes those who work anything less than 50 hours per
week. Poor work assignments, lack of respect, removal from partnership
track and reduced client contact are just a few of the penalties. It is no
wonder, then, that few attorneys -- and virtually no men -- use the existing
policies.
PAR will examine the correlation between attrition and schedules at D.C. law
firms, analyze the business needs of law firms, and survey best practices for
encouraging attorneys' professional advancement while accommodating their need
for a satisfying life outside the office. Its work will result in a set of
recommendations for law firms to use in setting up successful reduced hours
programs.
For More Information Contact:
Cynthia Calvert, Co-Director
Tel: (410) 480-4882
FAX: (410) 480-4883
Internet: PAR@pardc.org
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