Culture not main reason for attrition: LawSoc president

Singapore

CULTURE may have played a part in the attrition of junior lawyers, but the spike in exits last year was more likely because the pandemic offered lawyers an opportunity to reset and reassess their working conditions, said Adrian Tan, president of the Law Society (LawSoc).

"Why do lawyers leave the profession? In a nutshell: it's hard work, with high stakes. It can get to you," Tan said, in response to the reasons offered by lawyers The Business Times spoke to.

In his speech at the opening of Legal Year 2022 last week, Tan had associated the legal profession's record attrition to a global phenomenon now known as the Great Resignation. Record numbers have left their jobs across various industries since the pandemic started.

"Singapore law firm culture has not changed in the space of a single year. Culture may play a part in individual cases, but it cannot explain a pandemic spike," he said.

Stress is a primary reason raised by young people he had surveyed for leaving the profession, Tan said. The experiences of working from home and being constantly connected have exacerbated that.

Clients expect lawyers to be on demand, round the clock. They rely on lawyers to close business deals or to "rescue" those who are at the threat of losing their money or liberty, Tan said.

"Lawyers are often first responders when it comes to problems. Their repeated exposure to trauma and stress creates a situation of 'vicarious trauma'. Lawyers suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), in the sense that they are prone to relive emotionally draining or challenging events over and over again," he said.

While lawyers of the last century may regard their careers as a lifelong profession and were prepared to "slog away" so that they could master the vocation, lawyers today have more options.

"We cannot expect them to look at things the same way. Many are smart and hardworking, but also want balance in family and social lives," Tan said.

And the Singapore lawyer is in great demand today - not just among local firms.

"Once a young lawyer has served a stint there, headhunters swoop in to poach them to fill legal positions elsewhere. For example, these young lawyers are enticed to join international law firms, banks or even a tech start-up, in the hopes that it may become a unicorn," he said.

Young lawyers surveyed by LawSoc have been calling for an industry transformation, while many are looking for a way to continue serving their clients while protecting their mental health, Tan said.

Tan, who is now a partner at TSMP Law Corporation and has served as a lawyer for over 30 years, had for similar reasons left practice to serve as general counsel at a government technology company for a few years in the early 2000s.

"I was excited to try something new. I would like lawyers to do that, but I would like some of them to come back to practice. I missed going to court, battling opponents and helping clients.

"Like many other Singapore lawyers, our job means much more to us than just a title. We are deeply invested in the outcome of our work: every defeat drains us, every victory invigorates us. So, for many of us, law cannot be a gig, but a calling."