Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Page 24
Page 25
Page 26
Page 27
Page 28
Page 29
Page 30
Page 31
Page 32
Page 33
Page 34
Page 35
Page 36
Page 37
Page 38
Page 39
Page 40
Page 41
Page 42
Page 43
Page 44
Page 45
LocalGovernmentLawyer The Legal Department of the Future February 2016 39 one respondent concludes. The reasons cited for this by respondents include the reduction in the number of management positions due to the creation of shared services teams and the reduction in layers of management at local authorities in general. It is not a situation that is likely to improve in the near future as according to the results of the management survey the number of senior roles is predicted to fall in future as senior lawyers make way for junior and part- or non-qualified staff see article p43. This process has not gone unnoticed by staff Experience does not appear to count for much and although older more experienced staff were valued now it appears that the council wants younger staff one respondent says. The mid-point experiencedqualified staff are being overlooked and the more mature staff are retiring leaving a large gap. There increasingly seems to be a view in some quarters that working in local government is a great opportunity for lawyers at the beginning of their careers but that the career opportunities and pay make it much less attractive in the long term. Local government is a great option as a first step to gain high-level experience pre- and immediately post- qualification. I would advise the person to take that experience into an environment where it is valued including financially and given the respect it is due says one respondent. Talk is cheap There is an appreciation amongst most respondents that the capacity of management to address many of the issues identified is limited in the current environment but nevertheless the question of What steps could your employer take to improve the working environment for you elicited a wide number of responses. Many of these are around improvements to the office environment working in open plan is like being a galley slave without the drums says one facilities and support and commonly dealing with under- performing colleagues. As one respondent notes There need to be more performance management standards enforced and those who do not deliver need to be questioned about it. The greatest weight of comments however appeal for better communication from management both within the department and above. Time and again respondents complain that they are being kept in the dark about changes to their teams while others say that the lack of encouragement and appreciation from management can be extremely de-motivating. Managers should be valuing good employees rather than making them feel they are dispensable says one lawyer. Our section has lost two excellent lawyers because they dont feel valued and is about to lose another but