Articles
As I walked through the corridors of a large law firm recently, I came upon a conference room strewn with boxes and papers, notebooks and standing file holders, dirty coffee mugs and pizza boxes. It had been a long time since I’d seen a document review room. I stopped for a moment and imagined the work that had been done in that room—mundane work, most likely—done by first- and second-year associates looking through boxes of documents, flagging those that met standards that changed with frustrating regularity.
Just ten years ago, this experience was a big part of life for new litigation associates. Conference rooms like this existed in most every large firm with a litigation practice. Today electronic file review has made these practices obsolete. No longer do associates need to gather in cramped conference rooms or drafty warehouses; instead, they review files in the comfort and quiet of their offices. More efficient, right?
Later that day, I met a first-year associate who had been a part of that hard-copy document review. She said it was one of the best learning opportunities and most memorable work experiences she had had since arriving at the firm eight months earlier. Though grueling, she said it had been fun to work with fellow associates in one room. Often, the partner stopped by to see how they were doing, let them know what was going on in the case, and share a piece of late-night pizza. Senior associates rolled up their sleeves and dug into the boxes alongside them and over the course of several long nights, shared stories about reviews they had done as new associates. She learned more in two weeks than she had in the previous six months because she was exposed to others’ ideas, had the chance to interact with more senior lawyers, and developed deeper relationships with her team members. If she had been sitting in her office viewing documents on her monitor, she would have missed all this interpersonal contact and consequent learning. Communicating by email offers little time for relationship building.
Technology Gets In The Way Of Crucial Relationship-Building
I’m not advocating a return to old-style document reviews, but it is important to consider the impact of this new approach to practice on associates’ learning and quality of experience. Because associates’ lives are ruled by technology and billable hours, they learn quickly that hours trump excellence much of the time. Social interaction is rare. Many associates don’t enjoy meaningful contact with senior lawyers who should be sharing their knowledge and experience. Is it a surprise that associates are a bit cynical about their experiences in larger firms? Are these the ideal conditions for the development of loyalty and commitment to an employer?
Yet rather than see this cynicism as a consequence of changes to the way law is practiced in large firms, many blame “Generation Y” associates. They are referred to as the “trophy generation” and derided for growing up believing that everyone deserved to be the best, regardless of actual performance.
