LEGAL
A recent survey that gauges perceptions of in-house millennials and explores how they are shaping their workplaces shows that many corporate legal departments may not be prepared for this influx of younger workforce and how their perceptions and behaviors will change the workplace.
The survey, The generational shift in legal departments: Working with millennials and avoiding baby boomer brain drain from Thomson Reuters, shows a legal environment in which businesses of all types are dealing with the arrival of millennials and the departure of baby boomers, and notes how the impact of a multigenerational workforce is just beginning to reshape legal departments.
Bulacan noted the importance of tapping the potential of millennials now, as the pace of baby boomers’ retirement accelerates. “In-house leaders are still dealing with the rise of new technologies and all of the changes in the practice of law since the 2008 economic meltdown. The workforce evolution is another challenge legal department leaders have to address, and it’s crucial they act quickly,” Bulacan said.
Yet the survey indicated in-house leaders may not be prepared. Overwhelmingly, corporate counsel reported they’re not doing anything to prepare for this generational shift. Only 26% of legal departments have a succession plan in place, and the vast majority of legal departments do not have a formal mentoring program, with only 6% reporting they have such a program in place.
The low numbers may be attributed to the length of the typical corporate counsel career path, which includes law school followed by a law firm role — in other words, millennials are just now starting to work in-house, and equally important, baby boomers are starting to retire. “In-house leaders need to capture baby boomers’ extensive experience while making the most of millennials’ traits and skills,” said Bulacan. “It takes time to identify which key roles will need to be filled when baby boomers leave, and to mentor millennials and Gen Xers to prepare them to step in. Legal departments can’t afford to wait.”
Yet, as the survey describes, in-house leaders indicate they may not be prepared for the changes this massive generational shift will bring about. Capturing baby boomers’ extensive experience while making the most of millennials’ traits and skills is a delicate balance, but the vast majority of legal departments are not striking the right balance, or worse, not even acknowledging the challenges facing them.
View more on the many challenges in-house counsel are facing in the Legal Department 2025 series. This article was originally published in the Legal Executive Institute.
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