Fighting for survival

Are you fighting for survival at your firm?
The recession has brought about a lot of changes to the legal sector - and led to a myriad of internal battles in many law firms. The big picture is that firms have been forced to reconsider their structures, pricing and business development strategies in order to get through the difficult times. The smaller picture is internal conflicts fuelled by insufficient volumes of work (which do not allow everyone to achieve even the most modest targets), variable quality of work and, more generally, a deep-set insecurity about the future. Office battles, unlike street fights, are of a covert nature. But they are no less bloody. They have affected lawyers of various levels of experience - from trainees to senior associates and partners. In some instances they have gone way beyond what can be described as 'healthy competition'.

See if you can relate to a couple of examples. Firstly, there is great concern about the number of jobs available this year at NQ level. There is fierce competition for the few positions available - and a lingering perception among some trainees that not everyone competes fairly. This breeds stress, anxiety and low morale.

Secondly, when there is little work available, the key question for qualified lawyers is that of work distribution policy. In addition to ensuring that tasks are carried out in the most efficient and cost-effective way, senior lawyers also face the challenge of keeping everyone in the department equally busy when delegating work. This inevitably leads to accusations of favouritism and criticism of management skills (in some cases justifiable, in some cases not).

Thirdly, when work-flows decrease, much greater emphasis is placed on business development. And the issue of 'client ownership' inevitably arises when lawyers from one team find themselves competing with another for the same clients.  As I've found out, the principles of collaboration go straight out of the window when one's future is under threat.

When it comes to dealing with these issues, my advice is to make sure you are doing the best you can to optimise your chances. Be proactive in speaking to your managers about the volume and quality of your work; take an active interest in your colleagues' work; catch up with know-how training; consider how to maintain contacts with your existing clients and how you can add value to their businesses; and keep a record of your activities so that you can have a constructive discussion at your next appraisal.

Life may be stressful right now, but this is an excellent opportunity for lawyers to test their survival skills.

Kate Karakuli (name changed) is a senior associate at a top UK firm. For more of Kate's experiences, see Path to Partnership.