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Bar News - February 18, 2005 Attorneys Answering Bar Survey Are Busy, Upbeat About Future A survey of Bar members, conducted last fall, finds that generally most Bar members are either expecting no change in their economic circumstances or an improvement in the coming year. In fact, more than 1/3 expect their economic circumstances to improve this year. On the issue of lawyer income, the survey paints a picture that may run counter to public stereotypes that most lawyers are highly paid. Fifty percent of Bar members (50.5 percent) reported annual incomes of under $75,000. (See pie chart). Earning between $75,001 and $100,000 were 15.2 percent of the respondents; while 16.8 percent reported annual earnings of $100,001 to $150,000, and 17.4 percent said they earned more than$150,000 annually. The wide-ranging survey, conducted via email and mail, drew wide participation: 34 percent of those contacted responded, and the respondents' demographics closely match that of the overall Bar membership, providing a high degree of confidence in the accuracy of the results, according to NHBA Executive Director Jeannine McCoy. The survey is actually the first installment in a series of surveys to be conducted over the next 12 months, with each subsequent survey building on the prior results and focusing on specific areas of Bar services of importance to members, lawyers' views of challenges and trends facing the profession, and other topics. This article will provide a few highlights, focusing on economics and satisfaction measures. A more in-depth report of the results will be made available later. Hourly Rates Fifteen percent charged hourly rates of $125 or less, 18.8 percent charged between $126 and $150; and 28.4 percent charged $150 to $175, and another 13.4 percent charged from $176 to $200 hourly. In the highest income category, slightly more than 24 percent charged greater than $200 per hour. These results are not immediately comparable to the economic surveys previously conducted by the Bar by a different vendor. In a 1999 survey, Bar members reported a median annual income of $62,400 and a median billing rate of $150. Improvements Seen Overall, more than 38 percent of Bar members reported that they expect their economic circumstances will be "better" or "much better" this year (the survey was conducted in September 2004), while 43.5 percent were anticipating their situation to remain about the same, and 18 percent expected economic conditions to worsen for themselves. How Busy Are You? Lawyers feel busier than reported in the 1999 survey; in that year, 60 percent said they had "all the work they could handle" and slightly less than 30 percent had more work than they preferred. In the 2005 survey, only 46.6 percent said their workload was at their desired capacity; 33.4 percent said it was "more than capacity" and 3.4 percent said their workload was more than could be "sustained at the current level." Only about 15 percent of the 2004 survey respondents said their workloads were below their preferred capacity. The results of the first survey in the series, with many cross-tabulations by gender, income, practice setting, and other factors, will be shared with the Board of Governors and various Bar committees and task forces to guide their planning and activities, and will be used to plan upcoming surveys. Overwhelming Endorsement More than 85 percent of Bar members answered, "Yes" to the question, "Is the Bar a valuable professional resource?" Bar members in academia and public sector positions were less enthusiastic (69.2 percent and 71 percent answering yes, respectively). To this question, attorneys in less-populated areas were more likely to answer, "Yes" (greater than 90 percent) than those in more densely populated parts of the state. The survey also showed that 50 percent of Bar members have used the free member benefit, Casemaker Web Library, introduced two years ago, with significantly higher percentages of use reported among solo and small-firm practitioners. McCoy said she was very pleased by the initial responses to the survey, in particular the detailed and thoughtful comments members made regarding challenges they see in their practices and the priorities they envision for the Bar Association. Those results are being categorized to refine the input provided. The surveys are being conducted for the Bar by 6 Degrees, Inc., a Vermont company that has conducted similar surveys for bar associations in Vermont, Rhode Island and for the American Bar Association. |
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