There is a “Big Law” attrition crisis that nobody knows how to fix

According to HR Law Canada, 47% of Canadian professionals report burnout, with legal professionals among the hardest hit. That's up from 33% in 2023. Nearly half who left “Big Law” cited burnout or stress. 

The trend is accelerating.

Attrition costs $200K-$500K per lawyer lost. When 82% of associates leave within five years (The National Jurist), that's not a pipeline problem… that's an economic catastrophe.

And it's not underperformers leaving. It's the best associates… the ones getting excellent feedback, trusted with complex matters, top of their class. Firms are losing their top talent, including many women, who leave large law firms at twice the rate of men. That’s a whole other topic for another day. 

So why doesn’t “Big Law” fix this? The system is just too profitable to change. The billable-hour model generates massive revenue for equity partners. The partnership structure rewards short-term extraction over long-term sustainability. And there's always another crop of eager law school graduates willing to take their shot.

The costs are real: knowledge drain, disrupted client relationships, reputation damage, and recruiting challenges. But none directly impacts partner compensation in an immediate way, so the machine just keeps running.

Here's the hard truth for associates: you're not the beneficiary of this system. You're the fuel.

What's your experience? Have you seen firms genuinely try to address attrition, or just manage the optics?

Next week: Why the billable hour system drives this crisis. Buckle up.

---

About Outsiders Law

At Outsiders Law, we help business partners navigate the complex realities of growth, transition, and change with practical, plain-language legal solutions. If you’d like to learn more about shareholder agreements or have your existing one reviewed, contact us for a consultation.