Why Gruelling Workloads and Office Culture Push Junior Lawyers Out

The Chief Justice of Singapore has issued a wake-up call regarding the attrition of junior lawyers, as data indicates that one in three new practitioners intend to leave the profession.

Workplace Stress and Mental Health

The pressures of the legal industry have led to severe mental health challenges for early-career associates. Johanna, a 30-year-old lawyer who used a pseudonym to speak candidly about her former work environment, reported suffering her first panic attack during her second year on the job. She described the experience as a moment where she believed her life was over, driven by the overwhelming stress of her professional obligations.

Johanna’s experience involved returning home in distress after dealing with unreasonable clients while simultaneously managing multiple files independently. She noted that she received no assistance during this period, leaving her to handle a demanding caseload without the necessary support from her firm.

Culture and Compensation

Beyond the volume of work, internal office culture and the handling of compensation have contributed to the disillusionment of junior staff. In Johanna’s case, managers and support staff at her firm openly discussed her salary without her consent.

Her compensation had been pegged to her previous income at a larger, more prestigious law firm, a detail that became a point of discussion among her colleagues, and superiors. This lack of confidentiality regarding pay, combined with a lack of mentorship, created an environment that Johanna found unsustainable.

Institutional Attrition

The trend of junior lawyers exiting the field has prompted institutional scrutiny into the gruelling workloads and toxic office cultures that characterize some firms. The Chief Justice’s intervention highlights a systemic issue where the attrition of new talent is becoming a critical concern for the legal profession.

The industry now faces the task of addressing these cultural drivers and workload imbalances to prevent further attrition among its newest practitioners.