Human resources garnering respect at large law firms

The Chicago Tribune

When one woman took a job in professional development at a law firm about 20 years ago, she was a rare commodity in the legal industry. Now she is breaking new ground again.

As chief officer of human relations at a Boston firm, she is among a handful of HR professionals who have a seat at the management table inside large law firms. These firms elevated human resources from a mundane administrative function to a more strategic role.

The trend is picking up speed, lawyers say, as firms grow into global behemoths with thousands of lawyers and can no longer rely on traditional, more informal ways of managing the business. An informal ad hoc group of HR executives from large law firms now boasts 45 members, double the number from 2003 when the group first met.

HR functions, like recruitment, compensation, training and evaluations, have taken on greater importance inside law firms as the battle for talent intensifies and lawyers, even partners, no longer feel bound to one firm for their entire careers.

Attrition is on the rise among young lawyers, known as associates, some of whom make as much as $145,000 their first year out of law school. A 2005 survey found that 1 out of five associates leave U.S. law firms every year, the highest rate ever documented by the Assn. for Legal Career Professionals.

Associate dissatisfaction is nothing new. They always complained about long hours, boring assignments and poor treatment by partners. Yet law firms have traditionally not paid much attention to HR despite the high cost of turnover in lost productivity and time. The common thinking behind this attitude is, "We're making so much money, why change?"

The woman mentioned above said when she was a lawyer, she was guilty of not appreciating HR. It was always for secretaries and staff. Not to be elitist, but that's who she thought HR took care of.

A management consultant who specializes in HR, recalls writing an article in 1981 in a legal trade publication about the need for law firms to pay more attention to HR management. He got no response.

20 years later the few top-level HR managers at large firms asked him to help form a group so that they could network. They now meet twice a year to share ideas about work/life balance, leadership training and partner evaluations.

The president of Human Resource Services Inc. in Boulder, CO said he's been beating the drum for many years. But it's only in the last five to seven years that the HR function has gotten increased attention.