The revelation comes as Legal Week this week unveils the results of an extensive assistants survey, which polled 58 of the City’s top practices. Seventy-one percent of firms admitted that assistants’ line managers are not made to go on compulsory management training, relying instead, according the report, on the ‘innate people management skills’ of its partners.
Just three of the
The findings follow research by Legal Week Intelligence published in June that showed assistants think the way their immediate manager communicates with them is vital when assessing the quality of their working lives. A Legal Week Big Question survey earlier this year found that only 11% of top lawyers believe firms are good at communicating with associates. Law firms do, however, appraise assistants regularly; 76% of respondents said they formally appraised once a year while 24% do so twice annually.
For partner appraisals, the staff survey found a majority of City firms (55%) now use 360-degree appraisals, in which staff are asked to give feedback on their line manager.
Baker & McKenzie plans to introduce a pilot of this style of appraisal, while Stephenson Harwood did so earlier this year.
The majority of
Allen & Overy is still leading the
But
Does your line manager need management training? Click here to have your say.
Legal Week Assistant reportLWAssistantSept2007
