IBA launches global research project to bridge gap between younger and older legal generation

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The International Bar Association’s (IBA) Young Lawyers’ Committee and Legal Policy & Research Unit have embarked on a research project aimed at bridging the gap between young legal professionals and older lawyers who are already established in their careers. As part of the initiative, the two groups have launched a survey today to gain insight into the priorities and concerns of young lawyers across the globe. Determining the factors that affect young lawyers’ decisions to move workplaces is a crucial part of the research project. Available in English and Spanish, the Young Lawyers Survey is anonymous and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

IBA President, Horacio Bernardes Neto, commented: ‘Young lawyers are the future leaders of our profession. It is vital that we attract and retain talented individuals to contribute to the advancement, reform and championing of the law. Young lawyers’ experiences in the early years of their careers undoubtedly plays a role in their future, not only in the workplace but in the sector they choose, and the legal profession as a whole. Reflection is a key part of any development process and the data gathered by this survey will give us a greater understanding of how, as a profession, we can drive forward positive change. I urge all those who are eligible to participate in the survey to do so, and to encourage friends, family and colleagues to join them.’

The Young Lawyers Survey, developed in collaboration with consultancy firm Acritas (part of Thomson Reuters), is open to all legal professionals aged 40 or under. Approximately 80 per cent of questions are multiple choice, and all questions are related to issues affecting young lawyers, including factors influencing a decision to move workplaces, impacts on career progression, and the effect of technology and artificial intelligence in the workplace. Workplace bullying, sexual harassment and mental health are covered in the survey as part of the IBA’s continued commitment to addressing these issues in the legal profession. Those taking part are also invited to share their experiences concerning the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Some sample questions include:

• Does new technology (including cryptocurrency), new computer programs or artificial intelligence play a role in your current workplace?
• How has the COVID-19 crisis affected your current working situation?
• What excites you about your future career in the law?

The survey can be accessed online here.

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Notes to the Editor

1. Click here to access the Young Lawyers Survey: www.ibanet.org/LPRU/Young-lawyers-survey
2. Click here for a direct link to the Young Lawyers Survey on the Acritas (part of Thomson Reuters) website: secure.acritas.com/WebProd/cgi-bin/askiaext.dll?Action=StartSurvey&SurveyName=IBA_Young_Lawyers_2020
3. The IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU) undertakes research and develops and implements innovative strategies and initiatives that are relevant to current contemporary global issues. Members of the team have particular areas of expertise, including legal ethics and compliance, anti-corruption, business and human rights, criminal law, cybersecurity and technological innovation, such as the use of blockchain in the legal profession. This expertise continues to be developed through project based work, research, publications and policy development.
4. The objectives of the IBA Young Lawyers’ Committee (YLC) are to identify, discuss and promote issues involving young lawyers both around the world and within the association. The YLC aims to achieve this by means of fluid communications with the other IBA Committees so that their relevant activities and programmes can be actively promoted to young lawyers, as well as by getting young lawyers involved directly by recommending them as speakers.
5. The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, it was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world's bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.
   
   In the ensuing 70 years since its creation, the organisation has evolved from an association comprised exclusively of bar associations and law societies to one that incorporates individual international lawyers and entire law firms. The present membership is comprised of more than 80,000 individual international lawyers from most of the world’s leading law firms and some 190 bar associations and law societies spanning more than 170 countries. The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), an autonomous and financially independent entity, works to promote, protect and enforce human rights under a just rule of law, and to preserve the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession worldwide.