Unhappy assistants. A survey in Legal Business showed that a large number of assistants at City firms, were significantly unhappy with their quality of life. Lifestyle or the work/life balance has become the buzzword on law firms' lips. Firms realise that throwing money at assistants, although appreciated, is not necessarily the answer to all their problems. Firms have started to concentrate on providing assistants with better career development and proper forums for feedback. They have committed to trying to understand why it's not that effective to work until 2am every day.
The regional firms have continued to have a strong presence. Many of these firms have had fantastic years and are now finding their lawyers highly sought after by the top London firms. Additionally, they are now attracting lawyers from London and not just for lifestyle issues.
Musical chairs at partner level. Loyalty seems to be a dirty word since opportunities abound and partner moves have hit an all time high.
For a while E-Commerce took off and a number of law firms jumped on the bandwagon. Firms have been keen to re-brand themselves as e-commerce focussed. Some firms have profited from the boom. And some smart/lucky firms got off the bandwagon just before the punctures!
