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I am now no longer in private practice and glad not to be because I was fed up of having to tussle between 2 masters - the employer and the client - when really all solicitors should be putting the interests of the client first without question.

A number of years ago before the younger partners basically just got greedy, the older partners were happy with a comparatively modest profit ("comparatively" I emphasise) and did very much take into account the working hours of their staff generally. I can remember being encouraged to go home for example if I was still in the office after 6.00 pm and always felt I could go to someone if things were getting a bit too much and they would try to reallocate or find support somewhere if they could. Now that accountants run everything and there is no give in the system of course everyone is going to be stressed and pushed - squashed never mind squeezed lemons. The victims are the fee-earners AND their clients.

I would be reluctant to draw unfavourable comparisons between lawyer bosses and manager bosses. My experience has been that both can be good and both can be bad. Just because a person has not been trained to be a "manager" does not mean that they inevitably lack the common sense or soft skills to be able to manage - and to the same extent getting letters after your name indicating a degree in management is no guarantee that you are a good manager of people!