Michelle Pham, an associate in Pryor Cashman’s Corporate Group, was recently interviewed by the New York Law Journal for a piece examining why millennial lawyers are abandoning BigLaw and smaller boutiques in favor of midsize firms.

Pham, who spent two years at a large global firm before joining Pryor Cashman in 2014, opined, “I’d say the biggest draw and the reason I made the jump is because I wanted a firm that not only would allow me to grow as an attorney and work on my craft as an attorney but also support my professional development beyond my practice.”

She told the NYLJ that being at a midsize firm has afforded her the flexibility to go networking during the work week, take on pro bono work, volunteer and still be seen as a hardworking associate. “I just found that a firm like Pryor Cashman, a midsized firm, allowed me to be more well-rounded and that was really important to me.”

Pham acknowledged that many big law firms offer remote working arrangements in response to the desires of millennials, but said, “those policies don’t cut through the culture that at the end of the day, it is a big law firm and you’re there to work.”

Leaders of midsize law firms recognize that it’s important to keep millennial associates happy, since it enhances productivity and makes them less likely to leave.

In a December 2017 interview with the NYLJ, Ronald Shechtman, Pryor Cashman’s Managing Partner, said it was the firm’s ability to give associates major responsibilities early in their careers that improved the morale of millennial associates. He gave the example: “Several years ago, we hired a lateral associate (who was recently made partner at our firm) from a prominent large firm. I can remember seeing him in the hallway not long after he joined us and asking how he was settling in. He said to me, ‘I’ve worked on more matters in my first months here than I did in four and a half years at my previous firm.’”

To read Pham’s full NYLJ interview, please click here.

More About Pham’s Practice

Michelle Pham counsels public and private companies on a broad range of transactions and general corporate matters. Experienced in mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions, she manages due diligence reviews, drafts complex transaction agreements, advises on securities matters and prepares U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Learn more about her work here.