Walk into any law firm today and you’ll hear variations of the same concerns whispered in corridors and stated bluntly in partnership meetings:
“We can’t keep good people.”
“Our associates are exhausted.”
“We’re losing talent to competitors.”
At the same time, clients want more than ever, faster turnaround, clearer communication, sharper commerciality delivered by teams who work seamlessly together.
The uncomfortable truth is this, the firms that will win over the next decade will be the ones that master the people challenge. Therefore, the best people positioned to influence this is not HR. Not L&D, but Partners. Every interaction a partner has, every question, correction, acknowledgement, and decision shapes the culture, motivation, and performance of the people around them.
Before I share what great partners do differently to build loyal high performing teams, I need to be clear on one thing and that’s the financials.
The Business Case for Investing in People
Investing in people is not simply “nice-to-have,” it’s one of the most financially consequential decisions a partnership makes. When a law firm loses people, it loses far more than headcount. It loses money, momentum, and client trust.
Turnover is one of the industry’s most expensive hidden costs. Studies consistently show that replacing a single associate costs 1.5 to 2 times their annual salary once recruitment fees, onboarding, and lost productivity are considered.
According to the 2023 Thomson Reuters State of the Legal Market Report, turnover can cost firms upwards of £200,000 per lawyer and that’s before calculating the billable hours lost while new hires ramp up, which can take 6–12 months for mid-level associates.
Then there’s the opportunity cost. Research from National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP) shows that new associates operate at only 50–60% productivity in their first year. Multiply that across a few departures, and the financial impact becomes obvious: fewer billables, more supervision time, and greater risk of avoidable errors.
More importantly, turnover threatens something priceless: client continuity. Clients build trust with the individuals who know their business. When those people walk out the door, clients often reconsider their commitments. Gartner reports that 38% of clients reassess their provider when their primary contact changes, and 15% move work elsewhere.
But here’s the good news, most of these costs are entirely preventable.
Firms with strong cultures of psychological safety and meaningful connection report lower turnover, higher profitability, and stronger client satisfaction. PwC’s 2024 benchmarking found that firms with high employee engagement scores enjoy up to 23% higher revenue per lawyer and significantly lower attrition.
When people feel supported, trusted, and able to work at their best, they don’t just stay, they excel.
How Top Partners Stand Out
The most effective partners do things differently. They focus on building trust to improve engagement whether with employees, clients or other stakeholders. Trust is not a soft skill, it’s the foundation on which high performance depends.
People do their best work when they:
- understand what’s expected of them,
- feel safe asking questions, and
- know that feedback is there to help them grow, not catch them out.
Many partners assume they’re clear communicators, but clarity is measured not by what you say but by what your team understands. When expectations are ambiguous, stress rises, rework increases, and people avoid raising uncertainties for fear of appearing incompetent.
The partners who retain their teams communicate early, often, and with intention. They turn “I thought you meant…” into “I know exactly what you need, ” and they do it in a way that allows people to learn, not fear judgment.
One of the most engaged teams I’ve ever worked with was led by a technically brilliant partner who did something simple yet incredibly rare. He let his team see that he wasn’t perfect.
He would say proudly, “my door is always open.” technically, it was, but his demeaner said, please don’t disturb me.
One associate confessed she would rehearse her question outside his office for 10 minutes only to walk away when she sensed he was stressed. She told herself, “I’ll figure it out myself,” which really meant she carried unnecessary anxiety and occasionally made avoidable mistakes.
When the partner learned this, he was stunned. He genuinely believed he was approachable. He simply didn’t realise that approachability is not a declaration. It’s a feeling others have when they’re around you.
By making small changes such as looking up when someone walks into the room or saying, “thanks for checking this with me early,” and inviting questions can completely change the team’s willingness to speak up. With new awareness you can have transformational impact.
Conclusion
The firms that will thrive in 2026 and beyond won’t be the ones with the brightest legal minds. It will be the ones led by partners who create the conditions for people to think boldly, speak honestly, and contribute fully.
Employee Engagement doesn’t grow from slogans or away-days. It grows from connection, trust, and everyday behaviours that make people feel safe, seen, and supported.
When partners lead this way:
- people stay longer,
- performance rises naturally,
- clients notice the difference, and
- firms become far more resilient and profitable.
The partners who understand this and who practise connection and psychological safety as deliberately as they practise law will be the ones who build firms that win in the next decade.