b'14 Local Government Lawyeracross all sectors remains at 70%. Engineering,QuoteWhat are the worst aspects of working manufacturing, and charities report some of the highest satisfaction levels, whileUnquote:in local authority legal?healthcare, retail, transport and logistics rank at the lower end. Spinning too many plates - too much work So, what are the key factors behind theWhat are the best aspects of working inand not enough staff.satisfaction of local government lawyers? local authority legal?One observation is that lawyers are feelingEstablished Local Government employees more secure. According to Local GovernmentBeing the critical friend of a local authority isare, in the main lazy and entitled. There are Lawyers survey, fee earners rated their joba rewarding role. some good ones but there is a poor culture security as 7.4 out of 10- up from 6.7 ininfluenced by outdated union led practices.2019, and only 5.4 out of 10 in 2015 (SeeSeeing a meaningful difference in the local table 2).authority area as a result of the work we do,Having people think you are not a real lawyer Further, respondents this year scored, onand the ability to have autonomy and to workand are simply skiving [both comments have, on complex matters from a relatively juniorat risk, been made to my face].The best aspects are thelevel.ability to influence and steerDisorganised chaos.Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team the approaches taken to ato come up with solutions, and not beingDealing with elected councillors who refuse far greater degree than inlimited to only providing legal advice. to accept legal advice.private practice Everyone sharing the same goal to work forConstant pressure on budgets and constantly the public good and being able to specialise inhearing about how broke the council is.average, their happiness with work 0.4 pointsareas of interest.higher (out of 10) than they did in 2015 The presumption that the LA is always wrong, with many describing their work as varied,You are treated as a qualified professional -balancing statutory duties and budgets and interesting and intellectually stimulating.not as a wage slave. the verbal and written abuse some employees However, this has remained at the same levelreceive from both other professionals and since 2019, suggesting progress in this areaThe intellectual dimension of the work;members of the public.may have plateaued.flexible working hours and the ability to work from home.The goodDescribing the best aspects of working in local government, common answers from lawyersTable 2: On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being most satisfied), how satisfied are you with the include: flexibility and work-life balance, goodfollowing aspects of your employment?pension and annual leave, working with like- 2024 2019 2015 2013minded individuals and the rewarding natureQuality of work 7.5 7.5 7.1 7.4of the rolewith lawyers feeling they areJob security 7.4 6.7 5.4 5.3making a difference in their local communities.Ability to influence how I do my job 6.9 6.8 6.2 6.3Another honourable mention is the lackWork-life balance 6.9 7.2 6.7 7.0of billingan often unpopular task in privateCulture and collegiality 6.7 6.6 6.2 6.0practice law. Pay/pension 6.6 6.4 6.3 6.2The best aspects are the ability toQuality of leadership 6.4 6.2 5.6 5.4influence and steer the approaches taken toProfessional development opportunities 5.8 5.8 5.3 5.5a far greater degree than in private practice.Manageability of workload 5.8 6.1 5.8 6.1Local Government makes a differenceIT and research facilities 5.7 5.8 5.3 5.6to peoples lives and is central to ourOffice and other support facilities 5.5 5.4 5.0 5.0democracy, says one. Career prospects 5.4 5.0 4.3 4.4The quality of work is exceptionally good, the in-house feel and work is what I enjoy in satisfaction with pay / pension compared toto a lack of admin support, unmanageable there can be a very collegiate and cross team2019, with fee earners scoring 6.6 out of 10,workloads, poor IT systems and a lack of approach. There is a lot of flexibility whichup from 6.4. However, this seems to be mostlytraining opportunities.allows a good work-life balance, observesrelated to pensions, as there were some lessOne exasperated fee-earner says: Office another.favourable comments on pay. One lawyersupport and IT support is shocking. Nothing And, considering that work-life balanceclarifies: Pension is good but pay is rubbish.works and nothing gets fixedno stationery, was rated as one of the three most importantno working printer, no case management factors in deciding where to work by 74% ofOverworked and undervalued system that actually works.lawyers surveyed, it is positive that most areSo, onto the not-so-good parts of workingAnother remarks: Team leaders are too experiencing this. in local government law. Outlining the worstfrightened to take action against those not There has also been a slight improvementaspects of their chosen careers, lawyers pointcarrying out their duties properly, so the'