For many, working from home, as a result of COVID-19 regulations, provided them with an opportunity to reflect on their circumstances.
David, who was a trainee at that point of time, stressed that he was not ill-treated, but felt that his superiors just did not know how to support their employees during the pandemic.David eventually left the legal sector to work in investments in mid-2020. For instance, she was perpetually performing “office house-work” such as planning parties and hosting events.
When asked why she did not remain in practice by moving on to another law firm that had a bigger female representation, Jane said some had a reputation for being equally toxic. Mr Muk separately said that he could accept young lawyers leaving because of a mismatch in career expectations.Young lawyers TODAY spoke with who have recently either left practice or the legal sector altogether, cited reasons ranging from incompatibility in career aspirations, to toxic work culture, for their departure. In an email interview, Law Society’s Mr Tan said that the pandemic offered everyone a chance to have a reset and reassess their working conditions.
Mr Mark Teng, the executive director of That.Legal LLC law firm, reiterated that while digitalisation has allowed lawyers to be more efficient, it has made them a “victim of their own success”. Mr Tan said that LawSoc has kicked off a nationwide conversation about the legal profession on social media, chat groups and private discussions.
He added: “They said if that was how they were trained, then this was how I was going to be trained too, and they would be damned if I turned out to be a 'strawberry'.” The first, she wrote, is setting guidelines on the maximum number of hours lawyers should be working on average. Taking reference from standard contractual hours, she wrote that this should be about 45 hours per week.
And finally, she wrote that it would be beneficial to set up an anonymous whistleblowing hotline for exploitative and abusive firms and publish clear guidelines that define such practices and how to deal with it. But good lawyers may not necessarily make good managers, said Ms Christine Low, the director of the Peter Low & Choo LLC law firm.Ms Low said that for lawyers to become junior partners or associate directors, they will have to undergo a compulsory legal practice management course where they are taught a range of subjects, from dealing with liability, anti-money laundering regulations to conducting an elevator pitch.
The firm’s management then hold one-on-one sessions with them to discuss how the firm can help them achieve those goals.