A spirited discussion of the frustrations between lawyers of different generations began the session, "Harnessing the Winds of Change to Bring Balance and Meaning to the Workplace" at the ABA Annual Meeting in New York.
Panelists Gary Sasso and Richard Boyer discuss the potential for clashes between Net Gen- and Boomer-aged law firm associates.
Both panelists and audience members shared personal experiences of clashes between Net Gen associates and their older Boomer colleagues. They discussed how associates today have different career expectations and rarely stay in a position for very long. Philadelphia lawyer Lawrence Fox shared that it's not just generational differences among lawyers causing these clashes, but the traditional law firm model has changed, too.
Fox explained that when he was an associate, "Everyone had expectations of partnership. But that's not possible anymore." Fox went on to say that firm tenure is no longer ensured and lay offs are commonplace.
To help address these issues, the Section of Litigation established the Great Law Firm Project, an effort to formally identify the ills of the legal profession and the possible ways to resolve or mitigate the problems. Working with organizational development firm Modern Think, the section created a survey to help firm leaders examine their staff culture so they may identify areas of concern. The survey is also a benchmarking tool that firm leaders can use to measure their progress in resolving the problems they've identified.
The section has also published a book, "Raise the Bar" that details some of the ways that firms have resolved the issues common to the legal profession.
In addition to Fox, the panel included Peter Ellis of Chicago; Eileen Filliben Edmunds of Wilmington, Del.; Andra Green of Newport Beach, Calif.; Bart Greenwald of Louisville, K.Y.; Gary Sasso, Tampa, Fla.; and Tara Trask, San Francisco.
"Harnessing the Winds of Change to Bring Balance and Meaning to the Workplace" was sponsored by the Section of Litigation.