The Straits Times reports
SINGAPORE – A poll of nearly 300 lawyers found fewer than half said they would encourage their children to take up law as a career, reversing the result of a similar poll last year.
In 2021, some 77 per cent of lawyers said they would advise their children to go into law, but the figure fell to 48 per cent in 2022, with the “nays” adding up to 52 per cent.
The poll also found nearly six out of 10 respondents listed digitalisation as the development most likely to impact their firms in the future. Globalisation was the second-most cited factor, chosen by about 34 per cent of respondents.
The Singapore’s Best Law Firms 2023 survey of lawyers and clients was devised and conducted by German research firm Statista in conjunction with The Straits Times.
The most common reasons given by those who would not encourage their children included the long and stressful hours in a profession they say is now asking too much of lawyers.
Citing the “crazy hours’’, some said that lawyers are increasingly viewed as service providers and not given the respect for their vocation, and suggested there are easier ways to make a living.
One said “no” because he “is a good parent”, another said there were too many lawyers, while a third cited the high attrition rate.
