What, beyond salary and benefits, makes fee earners feel valued by their firms? The Brief speaks to legal leaders, HR and workplace experts to find out.
Firms continually put increasing levels of imagination, ingenuity and financial resources into making their fee earners feel appreciated. But, to an extent, these tangible remuneration packages represent a race that nobody can win (although, of course, you can’t afford to fall too far behind).
Saying “thank you”, however, costs nothing. And, according to law firm leaders and HR and workplace experts, it can be one of the greatest morale boosters.
Shaun Savory, chief people officer at the national law firm Birketts LLP, says, “Sometimes the most effective way to make people feel appreciated is also the simplest: say thank you. Take the time to recognise the effort people have put in, particularly when they have gone above and beyond or made personal sacrifices to deliver for colleagues or clients.
Genuine, timely recognition can mean far more than we sometimes realise.
“Too often, once a transaction completes, everyone immediately moves on to the next deal. We should make the time to pause and reflect on what went well, as well as what we could have done better, and importantly to celebrate the success and the contribution people made to achieving it.
“Genuine, timely recognition can mean far more than we sometimes realise.”
Specific credit
More than 4,500 miles away, in Fort Worth, Texas, the same thing holds true. Benson Varghese, founder and managing partner of the 50-strong criminal defence firm Varghese Summersett, says, “Lawyers can tell the difference between appreciation and a pizza lunch.
“What works at every level is specific credit, given publicly and quickly. When a client thanks the firm for a result, that message should reach the associate who drafted the motion at midnight, by name, and ideally in front of their colleagues.
Lawyers can tell the difference between appreciation and a pizza lunch.
“Generic praise fades in a day. Specific praise tells someone you actually saw their work.”
Effect of sustained pressure
Amrit Sandhar, founder of the leadership and workplace culture consultancy &Evolve, points out that without appropriate appreciation of the value they have created, fee earners can come to see themselves purely in terms of the fees they generate rather than the quality of their judgement.
“That is draining, particularly for people who are already giving their best, and it has a cost,” he says.
“Under sustained pressure, our brains can become more attuned to potential threats than opportunities. Attention drifts towards what hasn't been done, what might go wrong and where the next matter is coming from.
“Meaningful appreciation can help interrupt that pattern by redirecting attention towards progress, achievement and the positive impact of our work.”
Visible impact
The most important thing a firm can do, he continues, is to make its lawyers’ impact visible.
He explains, “Many fee earners rarely hear what their work actually meant to the client: the deal that allowed a founder to step back, the dispute that saved a family business, or the advice that gave someone peace of mind. Partners who close this loop, by passing on a client's thanks or sharing the outcome of a matter with the team, reconnect people with a sense of purpose that no bonus can replicate.
Many fee earners rarely hear what their work actually meant to the client: the deal that allowed a founder to step back, the dispute that saved a family business, or the advice that gave someone peace of mind.
“Alongside this, firms should recognise contributions that the timesheet never captures: the associate who takes the time to supervise a trainee properly, the colleague who steps in to support a pitch, or the person who holds a team together through a difficult matter. If a firm only celebrates what it can bill, it risks sending a very narrow message about what it truly values.”
Tailored approach
Sandhar goes on to say that the form which appreciation should take changes with seniority, with junior lawyers benefiting from specific, timely feedback that helps them develop their professional judgment and confidence, while mid-level associates are motivated by trust and autonomy, for example enabling them to demonstrate their capabilities by giving them opportunities to lead client relationships and take ownership of matters.
For senior lawyers and partners, meanwhile, he says, “recognising their contribution to developing others, building strong teams and creating a positive working environment can be just as important as acknowledging their commercial success.”
Senior lawyers want autonomy and a real voice in where the firm is heading.
Varghese builds on these points, saying, “The cohorts want different things. Junior lawyers mostly want proof they're growing, so the strongest signal you can send is responsibility. Put them on their feet in a courtroom early, then give them honest feedback while the hearing is still fresh.
“Senior lawyers are a different case. They want autonomy and a real voice in where the firm is heading, and including them in those decisions does more than another plaque ever will.”
Commercial logic
Providing staff with recognition isn’t just the right thing to do ethically; according to Sandhar it also has a commercial impact. He points to research by Gallup and Workhuman which tracked the career paths of more than 3,400 employees between 2022 and 2024, finding that those who received high-quality recognition were 45 per cent less likely to have left their organisations two years later.
“The firms that retain their best people are as intentional about recognising the impact they create as they are about measuring the income they generate,” he says.
As well as providing visible recognition, Varghese says, “The form of appreciation firms underrate most is taking away the work nobody went to law school to do. Every hour a lawyer spends chasing paperwork or re-entering data is an hour the firm has told them their judgement isn't worth much.
“Investing in systems that cut that administrative drag, and protecting evenings and weekends wherever a case allows, says you value people's time as much as their billables.”
Forced fun
Finally, Rasneet Sohal, director of referrals and community at the fee-share firm Excello, says that sometimes making lawyers feel appreciated can be about what you don’t make them do in the name of appreciation.
Attendance at social events was very much expected, often creating an unwelcome pressure to participate regardless of professional workloads or personal commitments.
She says, “One comment that has always stayed with me came from a lawyer who described a culture of ‘forced fun’ at a previous firm, where attendance at social events was very much expected, often creating an unwelcome pressure to participate regardless of professional workloads or personal commitments.
“Our lawyers spend time together because they genuinely want to, not because they feel obliged to. That contributes hugely to wellbeing, professional fulfilment and long-term professional success”.
Image generated using AI.
Visit
Connect with Amrit Sandhar via LinkedIn
Connect with Shaun Savory via LinkedIn
Connect with Rasneet Sohal via LinkedIn
Connect with Benson Varghese via LinkedIn
