It’s been two years since the pandemic began, and the concepts of “work” and “employment” are starting to look very different for industries globally. Law firms realise that if they want to avoid becoming victims of the Great Resignation, they need to have honest conversations about the needs of their lawyers. The best ones are able to embrace the new ways of working, while building engagement in the process. This year’s ALB Employer of Choice celebrates the cream of the crop. 

In 2021, the Great Resignation cast a shadow over much of the employment market, including the legal community, prompting internal strategising and offers for higher salaries.

However, even with the money being thrown around, law firm leaders in many markets have witnessed a shift in expectations, prompting conversations about flexible working environments and internal culture.

Raymond Mah, managing partner of Malaysia’s MahWengKwai & Associates (MWKA), says the pandemic has brought about increased reflection and self-awareness.

“Many are striving to better manage stress and burnout to achieve better work-life integration. Hence, organisations with toxic workplace cultures, poor communication or unrealistic workloads may find it difficult to retain talent. Some teammates realised that legal practice was not for them, and we supported them in their transition into other opportunities including going in-house and other creative pursuits – such as starting a media company,” Mah says.

For some, he says, the thought of resignation “was really a call for help.”

“Honest conversations, changes in portfolios to cater for new interests and coaching on self-leadership competencies have helped us help our teammates shape their career paths,” he adds.

Other workers have also prioritised personal “bucket list” items and pursuits in addition to their career such as becoming an author, speaker, learning to code, or being more present in their home life, Mah notes, thus requiring a change in work hours, or needing greater flexibility.

“Scheduled unpaid leave and career breaks have allowed our employees to pursue their masters overseas, and deal with familial issues, personal commitments or interests. Part-time and job-sharing arrangements have helped us welcome back moms into the workplace,” he tells ALB.

For the firm, in order to support shifting working arrangements, and ensure client needs are met, the firm implemented technological change to support this.

Mei Lum, chief technology officer at MWKA, describes the shift: “In change management, the lack of clear policies and guidelines creates friction. Talk about changing culture and improving client experience is meaningless without implementing time management and project management systems to help our people communicate better with each other, helping them achieve clear handovers, asynchronous communication and better manage work expectations and familial obligations,” she says.

“As a firm, we realise that flexibility and autonomy should not be temporary measures. We have focused on supporting mental health, improving legal project management, fine-tuning communication policies, setting up healthy boundaries, and reinforcing respect for each other’s working hours and personal time. For example, we work collaboratively with our clients on their documents to avoid unnecessary back and forth and intention-ally manage clients’ expectations on timelines,” Lum says, noting, in a post-pandemic world, “we see a Great Digital Skills Divide and are purposefully increasing the digital competence of our people. We’ve developed advanced digital skill sets, knowledge management and new ways of work to help our people better navigate the future.”

CHANGING ATTITUDES

While LNT & Partners in Vietnam haven’t been directly affected by the Great Resignation, the firm has observed a change in attitudes from legal talent.

“Workers have had more time to assess their priorities in life during the COVID-19 pandemic,” they say.

When Vietnam locked down in 2021, the firm implemented a work from home policy during the initial days of the pandemic to ensure workers’ health wasn’t risked and subsequently carried out training, inviting collaboration and feedback from the team.

Chisako Takaya, co-managing partner of Thailand’s Chandler MHM, also notes that the Great Resignation trend isn’t as visible in the Southeast Asian country as it is elsewhere.

“This is not something we have seen occur in Thailand, as has been the case in other markets. Because of the pandemic, there has been a reduction in recruitment over the past two years, but that is now bouncing back,” Takaya says.

The firm maintained “steady recruitment” over the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic as it “takes a long-term view of the market,” she says.

“We also supported our employees when they had to work remotely, to ensure that they still felt very much part of the team. In the longer term we are addressing the changing expectations around the quality of working life and flexible working arrangements,” Takaya adds.

STRONG INTERNAL CULTURE

Strong internal culture is often cited as the reason law firms are successful in holding on to good talent. Maintaining this during these challenging times is not easy, and requires ongoing effort.

Tiziana Sucharitkul and Darani Vachanavuttivong, managing part-ners of the Thailand-headquartered Tilleke & Gibbins, say the firm has a reputation as a welcoming, inclusive place to work.

“It’s almost become a cliché to say that any workplace is ‘like a family,’ but it really is the phrase that comes up the most when people talk about working here,” they say.

“There are a lot of factors that go into maintaining that, but it essentially comes down to putting fairness and equity at the heart of everything we do and ensuring that everyone feels that the workplace is inclusive. We work hard to maintain that and we’re very proud of the results — in addition to having exceptionally high retention rates and a very diverse workforce, many of those that do leave the firm come back to us within a few years because they miss the working environment,” Tiziana and Darani add.

Mah says MWKA’s culture is founded on respect and open communication. “We trust our team and we learn, constantly,” he says, noting that investment in technology and innovation has “empowered our people to work remotely and flexibly, more efficiently and collaboratively.”

Additionally, the firm elicits advice on how they can do better. “We have the courage to ask for feedback and the commitment to implement suggestions for improvement from our people, clients, vendors and community partners to better our product offerings and service delivery regularly,” Mah says.

At Chandler MHM, Takaya says the firm benefits from a multicultural culture, with lawyers from diverse backgrounds, “which means that we benefit from the unique experiences and cultural perspectives that each has.”

“This also means that it is important that our firm has an environment in which mutual respect, regardless of our differences, is the norm. We ensure that our employees can work with each other to the best of their ability and be their authentic selves. Our aim is also to provide a supportive learning environment for younger lawyers to grow as professionals as they develop their careers with us. In addition to providing skills training our management team leads by example, acting as role models for more junior team members,” Takaya says.

For LNT & Partners, the firm’s core values are “teamwork, professional and learning and development.”

“Teamwork, we respect and support each other, synergy and use in bringing good life for all participants. Professional, we recruit the best, honing professional skills, meeting deadlines, dedication and bringing values to the brand LNT & Partners in the market. Learning and development, we learn by doing, change constantly, modernize the system, provide quality work with innovative and practical solutions to our clients and enrich ourselves as professionals,” says the firm.

A GOOD FIT

With well-established internal cultures, ensuring a good fit is a critical consideration when it comes to hiring and retaining good staff. But each firm takes an active approach when it comes to their retention strategies.

“Our strategy focuses on aligning interest with growth and leadership opportunities,” says Mah of MWKA. “Regular check-ins and open communication allow us to identify and pursue opportunities productively and resolve issues proactively. We provide one-on-one coaching to align personal and professional goals.”

Lum adds that the firm also celebrates together. “To keep our team-mates engaged and connected we hold monthly birthday celebrations and morning coffee meetups (online and in-person). We provide opportunities for networking both locally and internationally. Our partners will be meeting our fellow Asian and European members of the League of Lawyers in Switzerland later this year,” she says noting the firm’s Toastmasters club helps members improve their public speaking skills.

At Singapore’s Drew & Napier, director Blossom Hing says the firm’s philosophy has always been “to treat talent as our top priority and we will continue to do so.”

“Young lawyers join a team led by a senior lawyer and are mentored by lawyers within the team who have varying years of experience. An open-door and team-based system allow more experienced lawyers to constantly communicate with and guide the younger lawyers in a safe space, thereby ensuring that each lawyer is encouraged to constantly grow and develop into the next stage of his or her career with confidence,” she says.

“Our senior lawyers, having benefited themselves from the mentorship and training they received are committed to invest time and effort to understand the hopes, expectations and concerns of each member of their team. The close relationship among the lawyers within a team enables more senior lawyers to help make sense of the myriad of challenges faced by young lawyers and has been key to ensuring that we have done well on talent retention despite the challenges of the pandemic,” Hing notes.

For LNT & Partners, retention stems from a commitment to provide lawyers with a variety of growth and development opportunities, “from organising internal training sessions on legal expertise as well as soft skills, to informing them of external courses and events which they might find useful, encouraging them to attend and supporting them financially if they do,” they say, noting they build talent from fresh graduates and aim to promote internally while providing all members “equal opportunities to become partners.”

“We have two partners who started as junior associates at the firm around ten years ago. The spirit of teamwork has always been encouraged within LNT,” it says.

MEANINGFUL WORK

Retention strategies are one side of the coin, but meaningful work is something often spoken about as an antidote to the great resignation and a way to ensure employee engagement.

Tiziana and Darani of Tilleke & Gibbins say they don’t think law firm leaders should define ‘meaningful work’ unilaterally.

“Only the employees themselves can do that, and it means something different to each person. We’re careful to make sure that we’re asking them that question regularly and allocating appropriate work to meet their definition wherever possible. We’re fortunate to be large enough to be able to build roles around each employee’s skillset and professional goals, without being so large that people feel anonymous and stuck inside a rigid framework,” they say.

For LNT & Partners, it’s important that employees can “feel joyful in their daily work and see their path to moving forward.”

“On the employer side, we have always been of the view that every member of the firm has the right to voice their opinion about their workplace and the firm’s leadership, and that the leadership has a responsibility to take into account these opinions,” it says.

Mah of MWKA says for the firm, meaningful work is viewed as “the result of aligning passion with the delivery of effective solutions.”

“A lot of professional and personal satisfaction comes from seeing how our work impacts individuals and the communities around us. As an organisation, we have identified five of the Sustainable Development Goals promoted by the United Nations. Our founder leads by example with his contribution as a Human Rights Commissioner. Our family law team has been at the forefront of strategic litigation concerning Malaysian citizenship for abandoned and adopted children, resulting in us winning the ALB Family Law Firm of the Year Award in 2021,” Mah says.

“We also encourage our lawyers to participate in pro bono and community projects, which have included coaching underprivileged school children on digital enablement and legal awareness. Our work is not always confined to legal issues. Our lawyers collaborate with our talent in finance, human resources and technology (MWKA Technologies) to solve complex problems and provide client value. For example, litigation support, financial analysis, data security and regulatory compliance automation,” he adds.

Takaya says the firm is supportive of their employees as people, and forge long term relationships with them.

“We focus on professional development and providing career progression to maintain a high retention rate. It is understandable however that from time to time for personal or professional reasons employees may choose other paths in life. In those situations, we remain supportive and have on many occasions welcomed back alumni to their previous or new roles within the firm,” she says.

“There has been a lot of attention in the media on low employee engagement at work globally. As a firm we are mindful of ensuring that employees are in roles that are appropriate for them and routinely monitor work-loads to ensure that these are appropriately distributed. Particularly during the COVID pandemic, we have focused on ensuring the health and safety of our employees,” Takaya adds.

Tiziana and Darani say the firm’s approach to development and retention “mixes quantitative data analysis and a fixed development framework with qualitative individual appraisal and ongoing continuous improvement.”

“That continuous improvement is fairly unique in that it isn’t just about improving employees — it’s about the firm itself and the approach we take to supervision, development, and appraisal. If employees have ideas about how to improve the development system for their benefit and that of others, they are encouraged to share them and we take that feedback very seriously,” they say, noting that at the moment they’re in the process of developing a revamped mentorship system thanks to one suggestion from an employee.

“We’ll soon be rolling out channels for feedback on working practices—above and beyond our annual employee experience survey—at the suggestion of another. This kind of engagement ensures that the development of our associates and staff isn’t just something dictated from the top—it’s a collaborative effort that everyone has a hand in, and people really appreciate that as they feel that they play a significant role in their development and career progression,” they add.

CULTURE OF COLLABORATION

Veeranuch Thammavaranucupt, senior partner of Thailand’s Weerawong, Chinnavat & Partners, says that people are a priority for the firm — “our philosophy is that the firm is a platform to support all lawyers’ advancement in the profession,” Veeranuch says, noting the firm “emphasizes a culture of collaboration.”

For lawyers, ensuring this sense of investment in the firm brand, and engagement throughout each step of their career requires a long-term view and close relationships with staff.

Takaya of CMHM says junior lawyers are given opportunities to work in different areas of practice so that they can decide which areas they would like to develop further in.

“More senior lawyers are encouraged to develop areas of expertise and practice that they have a particular interest in. As one of the larger law firms in Thailand with a broad range of practice areas we are able to offer our lawyers the opportunity to develop in the areas they are most passionate about,” she adds.

For MWKA, ensuring staff longevity stems back to how talent is hired in the first place.

“Half the challenge is won when we find people who share our core values and our passion for client service,” says Mah. “Next, we focus on providing well-rounded opportunities for personal and professional growth, including access to a breadth of practice areas. Our professional development plan sees our pupils develop into partners and industry thought leaders.”

Lum adds that the right support makes work fun. “We effectively address stress creators with structured work planning, team collaboration for clarity and regular check-ins. Collaborative brainstorming (remote and in-person) between cross-functional teams has also worked wonders for our team engagement,” she says.

At its crux, the firm say its internal culture is about building a like-minded team of diverse talent, and that creates an environment where people thrive.

“We put our words into action by supporting not just our lawyers but all our teammates equally. With our support and encouragement, our clerk with just a high school certificate has gone on to complete her law degree and is now our legal practice manager,” Mah says.

“One of our pupils after several years of practice took a career break to pursue his Master’s in International Economic Law in China and is now a partner with the firm. We have mothers who have previously left the workforce return to work with us on flexible arrangements giving us the benefit of their vast working experience. When our people get better, we’re able to perform better as a team, which ultimately benefits our clients too,” he adds.

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THE LIST

ALB Employer of Choice 2022
HONG KONG	INDIA
Commerce & Finance Law Offices in Association with Eric Chow & Co. Oldham, Li & Nie Paul Hastings Stephenson Harwood Withers	Fox Mandal and Associates L&L Partners Law Offices Pioneer Legal S&A Law Offices (Formerly Singh & Associates) Trilegal
KOREA	MALAYSIA
Bae, Kim & Lee Kim & Chang Peter & Kim Shin & Kim Yulchon	MahWengKwai & Associates LAW Partnership Zul Rafique & Partners
PHILIPPINES	SINGAPORE
ACCRALAW DivinaLaw Quisumbing Torres Romulo Villaraza & Angangco	Drew & Napier Harry Elias Partnership Helmsman Stephenson Harwood
THAILAND	VIETNAM
Chandler MHM Kudun & Partners Tilleke & Gibbins Weerawong, Chinnavat and Partners	LNT & Partners Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers Tilleke & Gibbins
INDONESIA
ABNR Dentons HPRP Hiswara Bunjamin & Tandjung