Allen & Overy's The Future of Legal Talent

[Jaysen]

I wanted to share a recent report by Allen & Overy, some very interesting conclusions.

The Future for Legal Talent
A major study into how lawyers view their careers in a new world

http://www.allenovery.com/news/en-gb/articles/Pages/The-Future-for-Legal-Talent-Report.aspx.

Here's a summary; I've highlighted some of the points I found interesting.

• Whilst 55% of law students said they have a clear vision on the direction of their legal career, that figure fell to 23% in the first five years of practice.

• 81% of current lawyers think many young lawyers won't feel the path to partnership is worth it, although students disagreed with this.

• 83% lawyers interviewed think that lawyers starting out now will have a different career experience compared to 5/10 years ago.

• 81% students believe tech will let them focus on the more creative aspects of the legal role. Conversely, 5% believe it'll increase the risk of redundancy.

• 84% think they'll need different skills today compared to 5/10 years ago, 30% felt the existing training adequately prepared them for it.

• Some of the most important skill sets they're looking for include technological expertise, commercial awareness, building a personal brand and a network of contacts and peers.

• There's a big interest in further learning and training from students as many feel ill-prepared. Many students expect to return to study at some point.

• Work/life balance was identified as the most important criterion for career success and almost half said they expect to work less than five days a week.

• Allen & Overy's research show - alongside legal expertise - increased interpersonal skills, adaptability and emotional intelligence will be the most important skills for lawyers considering a move into legal consultancy.

Allen & Overy pose some very interesting conclusions:

• "What development opportunities do law schools, firms and legal departments need to offer all lawyers – from students to the very experienced – to ensure they are ready for the challenges of tomorrow?".

• Their research also shows that "existing structures are no longer fit for purpose" in terms of what lawyers expect in their future careers.

 

[Campbell44]

I wanted to share a recent report by Allen & Overy, some very interesting conclusions.

The Future for Legal Talent
A major study into how lawyers view their careers in a new world

http://www.allenovery.com/news/en-gb/articles/Pages/The-Future-for-Legal-Talent-Report.aspx.

Here's a summary; I've highlighted some of the points I found interesting.

• Whilst 55% of law students said they have a clear vision on the direction of their legal career, that figure fell to 23% in the first five years of practice.

• 81% of current lawyers think many young lawyers won't feel the path to partnership is worth it, although students disagreed with this.

• 83% lawyers interviewed think that lawyers starting out now will have a different career experience compared to 5/10 years ago.

• 81% students believe tech will let them focus on the more creative aspects of the legal role. Conversely, 5% believe it'll increase the risk of redundancy.

• 84% think they'll need different skills today compared to 5/10 years ago, 30% felt the existing training adequately prepared them for it.

• Some of the most important skill sets they're looking for include technological expertise, commercial awareness, building a personal brand and a network of contacts and peers.

• There's a big interest in further learning and training from students as many feel ill-prepared. Many students expect to return to study at some point.

• Work/life balance was identified as the most important criterion for career success and almost half said they expect to work less than five days a week.

• Allen & Overy's research show - alongside legal expertise - increased interpersonal skills, adaptability and emotional intelligence will be the most important skills for lawyers considering a move into legal consultancy.

Allen & Overy pose some very interesting conclusions:

• "What development opportunities do law schools, firms and legal departments need to offer all lawyers – from students to the very experienced – to ensure they are ready for the challenges of tomorrow?".

• Their research also shows that "existing structures are no longer fit for purpose" in terms of what lawyers expect in their future careers.

I think the article is only accessible to companies so thanks for the summary . Am definitely starting to pick up patterns in these talks/articles about the future and what kind of skills law firms want students to have.

 

[Jaysen]

I think the article is only accessible to companies so thanks for the summary . Am definitely starting to pick up patterns in these talks/articles about the future and what kind of skills law firms want students to have.

Agreed!