Julieta Stubrin spoke to American Lawyer about why senior associates are seeing the biggest compensation jumps as firms scramble to stay competitive. As the former Director of Attorney Recruiting & Diversity at Fenwick & West, Julieta saw how senior associates effect a firm's culture and why retaining them is a priority.
On culture and mentoring:
“Senior associates are mentoring more actively, and they are the people that the junior associates run to with questions,” Stubrin said. “Senior associates have a huge impact on the culture and the firm as a whole. They are invaluable to client relationships and in helping junior associates build their skill sets and learn how to interact with clients."
On providing a buffer:
“You rarely hear about a junior associate leaving because of the way they were treated by a senior associate. You are more likely to hear about associates leaving because of the way they were treated by a partner,” Stubrin explained. “Midlevel and senior associates can provide a buffer between the more junior folks and the partners.”