The NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education and Fringe PD are requesting responses for their Civility Within Law Firms – Lawyer Survey. The organizations are asking U.S. and Canada-based attorneys to participate in the 10-minute, anonymous lawyer civility survey. This includes staff attorneys, contract / temporary lawyers, part-time / flexible lawyers, etc. The deadline for participation is Thursday, May 30.
The NALP Foundation provides practical research and data analysis to improve law career satisfaction and the delivery of legal services. Working with Fringe PD, a neuroscience-based professional development company, the NALP Foundation lawyer civility survey will examine barriers to civil relationship-building and interpersonal connection among colleagues at law firms. The data will be used to develop tools to help mitigate ineffective interpersonal communication within the legal field.
A focus on the importance of civility in the legal profession isn’t unique to the NALP Foundation and Fringe PD. The way lawyers communicate is directly connected to productivity, engagement and overall well-being. It’s estimated that difficult working relationships are one of the greatest causes of on-the-job stress. This can cost organizations roughly $300 billion annually.
In 2018, the ABA’s National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being highlighted “reducing the level of toxicity in our profession” as central to improving lawyer wellness and the health of the legal profession. And, earlier this month, Blake Morant, Dean of the George Washington University Law School, spoke on the essentiality of civility to an effective legal profession at our The Future Is Now 2.019 conference. Dean Morant has said, “civility constitutes a foundational element of professionalism, a vital attribute for success in the 21st century.”
The lawyer civility survey is part of the NALP Foundation’s Study on Civility Within the Legal Profession. Over 55 law firms throughout the U.S. participated in a separate law firm administrator survey. The results of the lawyer survey and the administrator survey will be published in a comprehensive report this fall.