Over a third of lawyers expect to change jobs in the next 12 months, according to new study. The survey, conducted by legal employment specialist Sofee, was based on 233 responses from Australian-based lawyers.  Even more disconcertingly for employers, a further  35 percent of respondents said that they expected to change jobs within  one to three years, meaning that a total of 70 percent were expecting to be on the move over the next three years.
 
These findings were consistent with other areas of the survey which measured employee engagement. A clear majority of respondents, when asked to rate their firm’s commitment to staff well-being, were either equivocal in their response or said that their firm was “not concerned at all.” Younger lawyers were less likely to be satisfied in this respect.
 
When asked whether they would recommend their firm as an employer,  more favourable responses were received from men than women  (75 percent versus 58 percent).  This is still a relatively high result when contrasted with the level of long term commitment respondents had to their firm and suggests that factors other than satisfaction with the firm may be at play in determining career direction.

Click here to access the Sofee blog, which will progressively report more survey results.