????2012年底，知名律師事務(wù)所Cravath, Swaine & Moore公布了年終獎，為全美律所行業(yè)設(shè)立了標(biāo)桿。今年的年終獎為10,000-60,000美元，較前兩年有顯著提升。很多律所迅速跟進(jìn)，包括世達(dá)律師事務(wù)所（Skadden Arps Meagher & Flom）、Simpson Thacher和Sullivan & Cromwell。法律界的很多管理者堅(jiān)信，高額獎金是吸引和留住一流人才的必要手段，但律師的流動率告訴我們不是這么回事。

????律所素有向律師支付高額薪水和獎金的傳統(tǒng)，但律所人員的頻繁流動也廣為人知。全美法律專業(yè)人士委員會基金會（National Association for Legal Professionals Foundation，簡稱：NALP基金會）的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，2010年，在職律師人數(shù)為251-500名的律所中有19%的律師離職，律所提供的頭號離職原因很含糊，都是“工作質(zhì)量不達(dá)標(biāo)”。(在職律師人數(shù)不超過100名的律所平均人員流失率為20%。）可與之相比的是《財(cái)富》雜志（Fortune）“最適宜工作的100家公司”的這一比率僅為2-3%（當(dāng)然，這些最佳雇主中鮮有律所）。這些律所哪里做得不對？

????律師離職有很多原因。管理不善是原因之一。Schulte Roth & Zabel的一位中層律師稱：“人們離職時的普遍感慨是謝天謝地，我終于不必應(yīng)對這些無理要求了。因?yàn)闅w根結(jié)底，讓人煩惱的是總是會遇到或擔(dān)心遇到各種各樣的無理要求?！?/p>

????The People's Therapist、Life In Big Law等業(yè)內(nèi)博客已成為律師們傾訴苦惱的平臺，訴苦的內(nèi)容從最后一分鐘被要求取消休假，到?jīng)Q不能對老板說“不”，應(yīng)有盡有。密歇根州最近的一宗法律訴訟或許能讓這些律師們感到心有戚戚。密歇根州律所Canfield的前合伙人迪恩?阿爾托貝利表示，合伙人們也有苦惱。在上個月提交的一項(xiàng)訴訟中，阿爾托貝利指控稱，他被推崇“畏懼文化”的經(jīng)理們排擠出了公司。

????考慮到每家律所投資在新聘用律師身上的費(fèi)用，合伙人加強(qiáng)對律師工作滿意度的關(guān)注合情合理。但律所咨詢公司Edge International的創(chuàng)始合伙人蓋瑞?瑞斯金指出，“大多數(shù)律所無視”人員損耗成本。瑞斯金說：“這樣的損耗成本不可接受，但律所行業(yè)一直在承擔(dān)這樣的成本?！?/p>

????除了薪水和獎金，律所耗費(fèi)數(shù)千美元招募和培訓(xùn)每位律師，通常還要支付律師資格考試的考前課程、搬家費(fèi)用和持續(xù)的法律教育費(fèi)用。一旦這位律師離開律所，這些投資也就隨之被帶走了。加拿大卡爾加里哈斯卡尼商學(xué)院（Haskayne School of Business）教授彼得?雪拉說，這種高流動模式或許是一種惡性循環(huán)。他說，既然合伙人認(rèn)為招來的律師會在幾年內(nèi)離職，就不愿花時間來好好地管理或培養(yǎng)任何一位特定的律師，結(jié)果導(dǎo)致這些律師更快地離開。

????大多數(shù)律所是由從未接受過正式管理培訓(xùn)的律師們管理的。瑞斯金認(rèn)為，即便是最好的律師，也可能是最糟的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)。“不能用律師技能來管理企業(yè)，”他說，合伙人需要“認(rèn)識到這一點(diǎn)，管理之道與法律業(yè)務(wù)完全不同”。

????In late 2012, top law firmCravath, Swaine & Moore announced its year-end bonuses, setting the bar for law firms around the country. Ranging from $10,000 to $60,000, the bonuses took a significant leap from those of the last two years. A number of other firms quickly followed suit, including Skadden Arps Meagher & Flom, Simpson Thacher, and Sullivan & Cromwell. But while many leaders in the legal world insist that big bonuses are necessary to attract and retain top talent, lawyer turnover rates tell a different story.

????Despite a history of paying high salaries and large bonuses to their attorneys, law firms suffer from notoriously busy revolving doors. According to the National Association for Legal Professionals Foundation, in 2010, firms with 251 to 500 attorneys lost 19% of their associates, with the top reason for departure listed vaguely by firms as "work quality standards were not met." (Those with 100 attorneys or fewer lost an average of 20% of their associates.) Compare that turnover rate to the 2-3% at Fortune's 100 Best Companies To Work For (granted, a few of those companies are law firms). What are law firms doing wrong?

????Associates leave for many reasons. Poor management is one factor. As one mid-level associate at Schulte Roth & Zabel said, "The general sentiment when people leave is, 'thank god I don't have to deal with this abuse anymore.' Because at the end of the day, it's constant abuse or fear of abuse."

????Blogs like The People's Therapist and Life In Big Law have become popular platforms for associates to vent their frustrations, commiserating over everything from forced last-minute vacation cancellations to the perceived inability to ever say no to a supervisor. A recent Michigan lawsuit may provide some cold comfort to these associates. According to Dean Altobelli, a former partner at Michigan firm Miller Canfield, partners feel the pain, too. In a suit filed last month, Altobelli claimed that he was forced out of the firm by managers who promoted "a culture of fear and intimidation."

????Considering the money law firms invest in every newly hired attorney, it would make sense for partners to pay closer attention to lawyer satisfaction. But according to Gerry Riskin, founding partner of law firm consultancy Edge International, "most firms are oblivious" to attrition costs. "That expense is unacceptable, yet firms have been accepting it," Riskin says.

????Aside from salaries and bonuses, law firms spend thousands of dollars recruiting and training each associate, often paying for bar exam preparation courses, moving expenses, and continuing legal education. So when a lawyer walks out the door, that investment walks out with him. The high turnover model may be a self-fulfilling prophecy, according to Peter Sherer, a professor at the Haskayne School of Business in Calgary, Canada. It's possible, he says, that partners don't want to devote the time to properly manage or develop any particular associate because they expect that associate to leave within the next couple of years, which in turn, may lead to those lawyers leaving faster.

????Most law firms are led by attorneys who have never been formally trained to manage others. According to Riskin, even the best lawyer can turn out to be a terrible leader. "You can't manage using lawyer skills," he says, adding that partners need "to accept that the approach to management is entirely different than the practice of law."