It’s not catchy enough to embroider on a pillow, but law firms would be wise to recognize the truth of a modified saying: if their associates aren’t happy, nobody’s happy. That’s because associates drive the firm’s profit engine, billing the hours that ensure the firm stays financially afloat.
And right now, associates aren’t happy. Let’s look at why—and what you can do about it.
Lawyers Are Overwhelmed and Burned Out—And They’re Leaving Firms in Droves
According to a Bloomberg Law survey, two-thirds of junior and midlevel lawyers reported that their well-being declined in the first quarter of 2021. Lawyers also reported experiencing feelings of burnout about half the time. And these overwhelmed, overworked lawyers aren’t just sitting and taking it; they’re leaving their law firms in record numbers. Law firms saw an average of 26% associate attrition in 2021, up from just 16% in 2020.
So far, firms have countered by offering higher salaries and promising bigger bonuses. But money isn’t enough to keep good associates on board. Nor are happy hours, remote and flexible work options, and other standard benefits.
Law firms can do one thing to keep their associates engaged, productive, and happy: provide them with the support they need so they have time to do meaningful work rather than administrative drudgery. One of the most cost-effective ways to provide that support is by leveraging technology.
Empowering Lawyers With Technology
While there are plenty of aspects of legal work that are interesting, engaging, and intellectually challenging, there are also many aspects of legal work that are tedious, repetitive, and mind-numbing. And many of the latter occur in the context of documents, which coincidentally are what lawyers spend most of their time and effort on.
Fortunately, technology can handle most (if not all) of the drudgery, and it never gets bored, tired, or distracted. When you use technology to streamline the repetitive administrative work—the constant proofing and re-proofing of documents, the laborious re-formatting and re-numbering of lists and sections, the endless comparison of different versions—you help your lawyers finish their work faster. That means they have more time to practice law. And they might even get to go home in time for dinner.
Helping lawyers create and deliver better documents in less time is the first step to making them happier. That’s where Litera Desktop comes in.
Streamline Your Drafting Workflows with Litera Desktop
Litera Desktop is a unified document drafting solution that’s easy to use and access from within the top ribbon of Microsoft Word. It streamlines the entire legal workflow—from initially creating a document through formatting, styling, proofing, collaborating, reviewing, and cleaning it—so that lawyers can focus on the substance of their work rather than the repetitive busy work.
Lawyers understand the value of their time and recognize that they shouldn’t have to toil away at tasks that technology could do just as well in a fraction of the time. Plus, the less time lawyers spend searching for content examples, proofing, formatting, and cleaning their documents, the more time they have to add value, provide direct client service, and contribute meaningfully to the success of their clients and the firm as a whole. That makes everyone happier, from associates to partners to clients.
Want to learn more about how Litera Desktop can help firms streamline their document workflows and improve their lawyers’ quality of life? Read our newest e-book about how Litera Desktop can help your firm increase document productivity and efficiency, or contact us for a demonstration.
Posted in Litera Desktop,Drafting
