More than half of in-house legal professionals are looking for a new job. Even those not actively looking now will likely begin a job search in 2025.
Your legal team all-stars are flight risks. But you can mitigate that if you prepare now.
In August 2024, Axiom commissioned Wakefield Research to look into the current mindset and outlook of in-house lawyers in Australia. The result is the latest expansion of our “View from the Inside” research series.
In 2024, one startling finding in our research among United States legal departments was that even after the Great Resignation had slowed, many in-house lawyers reported they were still unhappy and looking to leave their current positions. How would this unfold in Australia? It appears this global crisis has worsened, with 54% of in-house Australian lawyers also reporting plans to jump ship.
That being said, the research shows there’s hope (and techniques) for GCs wishing to retain their legal stars. By exploring the insights provided by 100 Australian in-house lawyers, legal leaders can discover the common pain points legal teams are facing, why team members are looking to leave, what they’d like to see in their current role, and most importantly, how legal leaders can keep their teams happy and content.
Check out this first look of the upcoming 2024 Australian In-House Legal Department Survey Report and learn how legal leaders can optimise their teams’ efficiency and stave off attrition.
One foot out the door:
- 53% are actively searching or open to a new position, and among those not actively searching, 41% are still likely to search for a new job in 2025.
Job stress and burnout:
- 63% report stress and burnout in their current role, and 47% report this is severe.
Resourcing struggles:
- 99% report their departments lack the necessary staffing resources in-house to do their jobs effectively.
Keys to retaining talent in 2025:
- Show them you care about their professional trajectories by:
a. Discussing a clear career path with next steps for their role
b. Providing them with professional development resources
c. Allowing them the opportunities to develop their skillsets
- Decrease some of the tedious, administrative work by:
a. Adopting new tech (such as AI) to help with daily mundane tasks
b. Working with robust vendors who don’t require excessive management so the in-house team can instead focus on providing the legal work that matters to them
c. Creating a legal operations role to oversee technology management
- Hire external partners who have the skillsets your team lacks and who can be an extension of your legal team through:
a. Using digital hiring platforms to browse, vet, and interview external candidates quickly
b. Partnering with outside firms that provide smooth management and few administrative hassles
c. Hiring on-demand flexible legal talent that can provide support for temporary gaps, overflow work, large projects, and long-term needs
Contact me today to learn about optimizing your legal department’s resources, reducing spend, and boosting your team’s job satisfaction (and retention rate). I’ll also ensure you receive one of the first copies of the full 2024 Australia In-House Survey Report when it’s published in a few weeks.
Click here to find out more.
About the Author
Jacob Flax is the Managing Director of Axiom Australia and helps businesses, corporate general counsel, and legal operations leaders improve the effectiveness and transform the efficiency of their in-house and legal ops teams. You can reach him at Jacob.Flax@axiomlaw.com.