Encouraging solicitors to get a life outside the office has traditionally been a low priority for law firms. But while the Firm of the Year results suggest going home is still a mystery to many, some firms appear to have placed it high on their agenda.
National firm Marque Lawyers - Aussie Firm of the Year winner for the third year running - came in top with a work/life balance score of 100%. So lawyers there seem pretty satisfied. Indeed, the firm won praise for its “fun and relaxed” culture along with a magazine selection which is “truly excellent”. The nibbles on offer are enough to make any lawyer (not on a new year diet) excited about coming into the office. From “toast and peanut butter" to "cake and a well-stocked bar” which is “unsurpassable”, Marques' lawyers certainly won't go hungry. Four o'clock on a Friday afternoon is also something to look forward to as its “pens down for Asahi beers”.
Maddocks have also adopted the 4pm rule, during the summer months at least, which one lawyer describes as a “great bonus”. It's another national firm which has scored big, achieving an impressive 92%, making it joint third best rated firm for work/life balance. One old-timer comments that the “excellent work/life balance and culture has kept me here for many years”.
Gilbert + Tobin lawyers seem pretty satisfied as well and the firm props up the middle part of the table with a respectable score of 72%. According to one Senior Associate there’s been an “influx” of new lawyers which has meant “the talent pool just keeps getting bigger, attracting even better work and more impressive clients”.
Sliding down the table is Clayton Utz where its work/life balance, described as “decent”, scored a mediocre 58%. Unsurprisingly it’s the big international players which prop up the lower end of the table. Ashurst, Herbies and King & Wood Mallesons scored 50%, 44% and 29% respectively in this category. Partners at KWM appear to have had enough of juggling work/life balance as one lawyer comments they are "jumping ship almost every week".
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National firm Marque Lawyers - Aussie Firm of the Year winner for the third year running - came in top with a work/life balance score of 100%. So lawyers there seem pretty satisfied. Indeed, the firm won praise for its “fun and relaxed” culture along with a magazine selection which is “truly excellent”. The nibbles on offer are enough to make any lawyer (not on a new year diet) excited about coming into the office. From “toast and peanut butter" to "cake and a well-stocked bar” which is “unsurpassable”, Marques' lawyers certainly won't go hungry. Four o'clock on a Friday afternoon is also something to look forward to as its “pens down for Asahi beers”.
Maddocks have also adopted the 4pm rule, during the summer months at least, which one lawyer describes as a “great bonus”. It's another national firm which has scored big, achieving an impressive 92%, making it joint third best rated firm for work/life balance. One old-timer comments that the “excellent work/life balance and culture has kept me here for many years”.
Gilbert + Tobin lawyers seem pretty satisfied as well and the firm props up the middle part of the table with a respectable score of 72%. According to one Senior Associate there’s been an “influx” of new lawyers which has meant “the talent pool just keeps getting bigger, attracting even better work and more impressive clients”.
Sliding down the table is Clayton Utz where its work/life balance, described as “decent”, scored a mediocre 58%. Unsurprisingly it’s the big international players which prop up the lower end of the table. Ashurst, Herbies and King & Wood Mallesons scored 50%, 44% and 29% respectively in this category. Partners at KWM appear to have had enough of juggling work/life balance as one lawyer comments they are "jumping ship almost every week".