“ My dad raised me as a ‘look you in the eye’ type of guy... Obviously, only one form of communication provides that.” —Chequan Lewis, Baker Botts
MOST IMPORTANT CRITERIA IN SELECTING AN EMPLOYER Geographical Location
Opportunity to do 32
Meaningful/Satisfying Work Learning/Training Opportunities
Opportunity to Work with Great Colleagues
Opportunity to Learn from Proven Experts/Leaders
LEAST IMPORTANT CRITERIA IN SELECTING AN EMPLOYER Limited Travel
Access/Ability to Travel Diverse Workforce
Flexibility Where and/or When I Work
Opportunity to Advance into Senior Leadership Roles
technology to make communication processes smoother. T e overwhelming majority of
respondents felt that face-to-face communication, networking, and email communications needed to be improved, in that order. “My dad raised me as a ‘look
you in the eye’ type of guy. I value that more and more as I get older. Obviously, only one form of commu- nication provides that,” says Lewis. Men favored face-to-face com-
munication in both private and professional lives. Minorities and women valued email as their preferred communication tool in their profes- sional lives but valued face-to-face communication in their personal lives. “It depends on the situation,”
says 25-year-old Steven Roberts, a lawyer for AP Wireless Infrastructure Partners. “Face-to-face is my pre- ferred method of communication because there’s less misunderstanding. However, some communications need to be documented or can be answered with a simple email. Complex prob- lems are better discussed face-to-face.” Email is an effi cient communica-
tion tool for less intricate problems. “With email, I can quickly scan a subject heading or the body of the email and decide if I need to respond now or if it can wait until tomorrow,” says Ballesteros. Minorities, more than whites,
valued networking events more than telephone communications. Minorities noted that they were more
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
likely to connect with other minority attorneys through strategic network- ing events. “I fi nd networking events valuable
because they put me on equal foot- ing,” says Lewis. “T ere is an under- standing and an openness to meeting new people in that space.”
WORK STYLE IS IMPORTANT Gen Y attorneys say they are most productive in an informal work cul- ture that allows a fl exible work sched- ule, telecommuting opportunities, and individual offi ce space. Respondents reported that they often had to “look like they were working” to senior law- yers by staying in their offi ces when it was not productive to do so. T e survey indicates that at least
one aspect of the stereotypical mil- lennial is true: T ey crave feedback on their work and constructive advice on how to develop their careers. Even attorneys who participate in profes- sional development programs lament the lack of one-on-one mentoring with senior attorneys. T e most important component
of workplace life for millennials is fl exibility. Many workplaces have implemented some type of fl ex-time policies. However, comments such as “what they say they do and what they actually do is so diff erent that you can’t believe what they say in recruiting” and “even if they have the policies, there are unwritten rules to not use the policies if you want to
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