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

• Author: John P. Box Jr.
• Pages: 151-156

151

A Day in the Life of

a Millennial-Friendly

LawFirm

Square peg, meet round hole. As Millennials entered the legal profession

roughly a decade ago, junior associates and senior partners discovered the

conundrum of the square peg–round hole. What motivated Boomer and

Gen X attorneys early in their careers simply failed to motivate young

Millennial attorneys. Initially, law firm management sought to make Mil-

lennials behave more like their Gen X and Boomer counterparts. This

attempt, however, proved futile. As Andrew Glincher, the chief executive

officer of Nixon Peabody, noted:

Several years ago, the attitude of the law-firm partners was,

“Millennials are going to have to be like us.” But very quickly,

they learned, they’re not going to be like us. And we need to

adapt. We need to be open to new ideas and keenly aware of

what motivates millennials. Especially if we want to attract and

retain the top talent.1

Although necessary to attract, motivate, and retain the top legal tal-

ent, being open to new ideas and adapting to a new model can feel

disorienting.

1. Brigid Schulte, Millennials Want an End to Hierarchies in the Workplace, Wash. Post, June 21, 2015.

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