Flexible working more important to lawyers than salaries, report finds
Law firms competing in the pay war for legal talent may be barking up the wrong tree, according to new research which has found that flexible working edges out money as the top priority for lawyers.
Around 83 per cent of lawyers in a survey of legal professionals, by legal recruitment consultancy Realm Recruit, said flexible working would be important to them if they were job hunting, nudging out salaries as the biggest factor.
The annual report found that while the proportion of lawyers who put their salary as the highest priority did not change from last year at 81 per cent, flexible working became more important for lawyers this year, following a dramatic uptake of flexible working across the country, in response to the pandemic and lockdown restrictions.
The findings mark the first time flexible working, which 70 per cent ranked as their highest priority last year, has trumped pay in the findings of the annual survey.
More holiday allowance, better culture fit and prospects of promotions were also flagged as important considerations to lawyers if they were looking for a new posting.
The news comes amid an intensifying ‘pay war’ between City law firms as a host have recently announced salary hikes for newly qualified and trainee lawyers, as they fight to recruit and retain staff.
Last week Norton Rose Fulbright announced a raise of 12 per cent for newly qualified lawyers by 12 per cent to £95,000 while Ropes & Gray, earlier this month, increased salaries to a staggering £147,000.