At a recent seminar for managing attorneys, I spent a good deal of time following the meeting chatting with and listening to the wisdom and opinions of several managing attorneys more seasoned than I. These people, formerly my superiors and bosses, are now my colleagues and peers, and somewhat surprisingly to me, they were asking my opinion and listening to what I had to say as well. Hmmm, maybe I didn't need to be a man to have the veteran attorneys listen to me. I just needed to be old!
One attorney voiced his frustration over what he perceived and described as the "entitlement attitude" of the "millennium attorneys." He explained that he considered the "millennium attorney" to include attorneys who were admitted to practice law after 1998. I did not follow up regarding his reasoning or the seemingly arbitrary cut off, as it seemed that he was grouping those attorneys who had been practicing less than ten years into the group of ungrateful, privileged prima donna attorneys. I must note here I have a distinct recollection of similar statements bantered about regarding the law school graduates of 1989. And my guess is that if we could poll the managing attorneys of the jazz age, they would report that attorneys admitted after 1950 or so just didn't seem to work as hard or care as much. Because I was interested in hearing more, however, I did not mention this thought to the speaker.
What interested me most about his viewpoint was not necessarily why he was disappointed in his new-ish associates, but rather, why he felt he, or for that matter, I, an estimated fifteen to twenty years his junior, were different in our formative years. As managing attorney at our firm, I wanted to learn the tried and true management methods and philosophies. Also, having recently spent three weeks in a jury trial with a "millennium attorney," I felt that, perhaps, the epithet was unjustified, or at least overreaching. As the attorney was relating his experience of young attorneys who were looking for more money, fewer hours, more interesting work, more autonomy, etc., (Honestly, who isn't?) and as I was preparing a retort in defense of our remarkable, hard working and bright associates, that a concurring opinion emerged from an unexpected source. One of the other attorneys standing in our little group, who was closer to the first speaker's age than to mine, opined that while he understood the disappointment we all, as managing and supervising attorneys, feel when an attorney leaves the firm for more money, he could not fault the departing attorney. He pointed out that law school is EXPENSIVE and unless one has been blessed with a very wealthy and generous family, or has been the beneficiary of a rare, "full ride" scholarship inclusive of lodging, books, etc., your new associate is likely to have loan repayment obligations which, unquestionably, make an offer of more money nearly impossible to pass up, notwithstanding that the type of work, challenges or personalities may not be as attractive as those offered in your office.
It is sad, but true. There is a tremendous down side to being the young, loan-repaying, errand running, discovery answering new associate. Student loans and living expenses weigh heavily, particularly if this period of time is the first time the attorney has lived "on her own," renting her own apartment, buying her own car, and balancing her own expenses against her income. And although the associate may know that he or she is getting the best experience, in the most friendly environment with your firm, the offer of a fifty percent pay increase for sitting in the corner of the library for two years, or attending three hundred depositions on the same issue when he/she never is allowed to ask a question, is likely to appear "worth the sacrifice." If any young attorney were to ask my advice regarding the above described dilemma, I would caution strongly that, in my opinion, quality of life and enjoyment of your work are more important than an extra meal at a restaurant, mini vacation or paying off your loans a year sooner. I understand, however, that not everyone thinks and feels the same and that statements like that are made more easily at age 45 than at age 25. The options and realities are different for everyone. If taking the highest salary and paying off debt sooner is what one needs for peace of mind, no one can quarrel with that. And it does not mean that the attorney is a greedy, self important diva. The millennium associate is simply human, with challenges, choices and career and life decisions to make, often at a very young age.
When I got the opportunity to speak, I did put in my two cents in behalf of our young associates, stating what a tremendous asset our MA's can be! I learned to type in the tenth grade, I stopped dictating things years ago, and I can attach and open electronic documents, but I am a dinosaur compared to the millennium attorneys. They all have Facebook or MySpace pages, and they can very quickly research your plaintiff, client, jurors and witnesses - invaluable during trial. Your MA will be able to create an Excel spreadsheet outlining the events of your case, and she will be able to put the thoughts and experience that is currently only in your head into a Power Point presentation. I do not mean to condone utilizing your gifted new associate as an audio visual technician, but a litigator who can also put these bright ideas into electronic form, or a form that will assist the jury or other audience, absolutely brings something extra to the table.
