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IU Maurer School of Law professor William Henderson discusses results of IL’s survey on practicing law in the state. (IL file photo)We thought this year, our 25th anniversary in print, would be a good time to survey the legal community in Indiana and see what the state of the practice is here. More than 500 lawyers told us their thoughts on a variety of topics, including law firm management, social media use and number of pro bono hours performed. Indiana University Maurer School of Law professor William Henderson, who analyzed the results of the survey and made a presentation at an Indiana Lawyer continuing legal education program, said the survey reveals signs of fundamental change in the legal profession.
A few interesting things jumped out from the responses. Lawyers mostly said they are satisfied in their careers, but wouldn’t recommend someone become an attorney. The biggest factor impacting satisfaction? Age. Those with 31 or more years in practice reported the highest satisfaction but that happiness quotient dropped as the number of years on the job decreased.
Henderson noted the responses from younger attorneys show the opportunities that were available 25 or 30 years ago might not be available, or at least not in plain sight as they once had been.
“This is not something to panic over, but it is something to begin to have conversations about because the young people are the future of this profession,” he said.
Another interesting tidbit from the survey: Nearly 70 percent of respondents believe performing pro bono work and reporting those hours should be optional. The responses likely reflect the unpopularity of Indiana’s new pro bono reporting rule.•
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