What
does
it
take
to
cultivate
job
satisfaction
at
a
law
firm?
In
a
new
report
from
BTI
Consulting,
associates
pointed
out
exactly
what
they
wanted
from
and
valued
in
their
work
lives,
and
which
firms
were
the
best
at
committing
to
their
overall
happiness.
According
to
BTI,
Biglaw
associates
are
looking
for
these
eight
core
activities
from
their
firms
when
it
comes
to
their
overall
professional
happiness:
-
Commitment
to
helping
associates
in
their
career -
Specific
action
to
help
develop
a
career
path -
Access
to
training
they
need -
Good
mentoring -
Optimism
about
growing
within
their
firm -
High
levels
of
job
satisfaction -
Being
well
paid -
Having
at
least
one
partner
watching
out
for
them
After
going
evaluating
4,000
responses,
BTI
found
that
147
Biglaw
firms
did
the
best
job
when
it
came
to
associate
satisfaction.
But
which
firms
did
the
best
in
each
category?
Earlier
this
week,
we
covered
the
firms
that
were
considered
the
best
at
helping
associates
in
their
careers
and
those
with
partners
who
have
associates’
backs,
as
well
as
the
firms
that
have
helped
associates
build
their
careers
and
provided
access
to
the
training
they
want
and
need.
Today,
we’re
going
to
take
a
look
at
the
thing
that
makes
the
world
go
’round:
money.
Biglaw
associates
certainly
enjoy
being
paid
handsomely
—
and
we
here
at
Above
the
Law
have
tracked
raises
and
bonuses
for
years
—
but
there’s
much
more
to
compensation
than
just
a
dollar
amount.
Here’s
what
BTI
evaluated:
Associates
rely
on
a
subjective
formula
to
evaluate
how
well
they
are
paid.
This
formula
includes
salary,
bonus,
competitive
norms,
hours
of
work
expected,
hybrid
work
policies,
perceived
control
over
working
hours,
treatment
by
partners,
feedback,
and
the
opportunity
they
see
for
themselves
within
the
firm.
Market
rate
salaries
are
minimum
expectations.
That
said,
associates
singled
out
29
law
firms
that
were
able
to
offer
a
“winning
comp
combination,”
but
these
eight
firms
were
identified
as
the
best
of
the
best
when
it
comes
to
all
matters
of
compensation:
-
Baker
Donelson - Choate
-
Debevoise
&
Plimpton -
Faegre
Drinker -
Fenwick
&
West -
Hunton
Andrews
Kurth - Katten
- Milbank
Congratulations
to
each
of
these
firms.
When
market
money
is
just
the
baseline,
providing
associates
with
a
better
quality
of
life
will
get
your
firm
a
boost
when
it
comes
to
overall
“compensation.”
Great
work!
Associates
Point
to
29
Law
Firms
Where
They
Are
Well
Paid
[BTI
Consulting]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on
Twitter
or
connect
with
her
on
LinkedIn.