I recently lost a valued staff member and, while sorry to see him go, I realise that quite simply it was time for him to move on – both for himself and the firm. I could have tried to keep him, but did not as I was only too aware that he was bored and, as a result, not generating fees. I could have enticed him with more money, offers of promotion, all sorts of motivational treats, but I knew in my heart of hearts that he would have eventually departed.

Time and time again, when a candidate gets a job offer from a prospective employer, they go to tender their notice, only to be tempted to stay by offers of more money or promotion. Then, six months later, they are back on our books saying the promises were not fulfilled and feeling bitter about rejecting what had probably been an excellent opportunity. So, all in all, everyone lost out.


I find it strange that law firms sometimes do not seem to grasp the reality of retention. While everyone wants to keep good staff, both for economic reasons and stability, if an employee is unhappy and is trying to find a new position, then the firm should accept the situation. If the firm cannot identify in advance that the employee is restless or demotivated, they should perhaps examine their own internal training or human resources function. It is not difficult to look at a person and see what is going through their mind day to day, especially when working closely with them.


In the legal marketplace, what is particularly interesting is the mass movement of senior staff or partners. One wonders if they get any sort of pastoral care from anyone within their firms. While many firms look after their junior staff as best they can, does anyone have any real responsibility for the welfare of senior staff? One might say they should be old enough and big enough to look after themselves, but in reality that is a fallacy, as everyone needs occasional TLC.



Surely the greatest thing any business can do is to retain motivated, experienced staff. It should not come as a surprise when someone gives in their notice; if you are really on the ball as an employer, you should either be expecting it, or have taken the appropriate counter-measures to avoid it.


The vast majority of candidates who accept a counter offer from their existing employers are back on the job market within a year. The moral is not to offer promises you cannot keep. And on the other side of the equation, do you really want to retain an employee who does not discuss their desire to leave with you first?



Daniel Lewis is divisional director of AM Legal