How to Retain Your Best Legal Professionals

 

Retaining top talent is a priority for every legal organization. Your top talent not only performs your organization’s best work but also possesses considerable institutional knowledge. Their work ethic, values, and commitment to clients are passed down to your rising stars and newest recruits – but only if you retain your best legal professionals.

From professional development to positive work environments, here are three actionable insights into creating a workplace culture that encourages loyalty and commitment among your best legal talent.

Offer competitive pay and benefits. 

For a legal professional looking for work outside your organization, higher pay and benefits elsewhere can tip the scales when the culture and values of the two organizations are similar. Level the playing field by monitoring pay and benefits offerings across your industry, practice areas, and similar organizations – and keep your numbers on par with others. 

When pay and benefits don’t improve elsewhere, your top talent has less incentive to move on. Instead, they’re incentivized to stay where they are and build a stronger culture. 

Lean into continued learning opportunities.

Top performers get restless when they feel they’ve learned all they can in their current role. This restlessness may lead them to seek work elsewhere to continue their own growth.

By offering tuition reimbursement, coverage for conference fees, and other learning opportunities, law firms and legal departments can feed high performers’ constant desire to learn and grow. Your top performers are more likely to stay with an organization that invests in their growth – and they’re more likely to apply what they learn to improve their work. 

Create clear and transparent paths to professional growth. 

Every legal professional will start to look outside their current employer’s offices if they believe there’s nowhere left for them to grow in their current position. 

To prevent this, make sure everyone knows what promotion and growth opportunities are available. Articulate clear paths to professional growth and share them regularly. A mentorship program can help your team members see these paths in action.

Even organizations with outstanding retention occasionally need to replace talent as their existing team members reach retirement or other life events intervene.

If you need to bring someone else onto your team, turn to Avata Partners for assistance.