BigHand Legal Talent & Resourcing Report 2025

Mastering Resource Management for Profit & Retention

Fix your firm’s million-dollar problem - read the report.

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Challenges Impacting Law Firm Productivity and Retention
Rising Talent Attrition

Associate departures have doubled, reaching 16% for juniors and 17% for seniors.

Subjective Work Allocation

43% of firms depend on lawyer-led decisions; 37% base staffing on preference, not skills or capacity.

Limited Talent Visibility

Only 45%of firms have insight into associate skillsets, and just 40% of firms track work allocation.

Increasing Client Loss

97% of firms report more client attrition, often linked to spending cuts and new provider choices.

Law Firms Under Pressure: Are you ready?

Law firms face mounting demands, higher client expectations, tighter margins, and the ongoing challenge of retaining top talent. Strategic legal resource management and effective law firm workforce planning are now essential for continued success. 

Why This Report Matters 
The 2025 Resource Management Report delivers industry insights from 800+ senior legal professionals, highlighting pressing challenges: 

  • Limited visibility into attorney utilization rates and skills 
  • The risk of legal resourcing bias and informal processes 
  • Difficulty in retaining mid-level associates and supporting law firm succession planning 

What You’ll Learn 

  • How leading firms are managing work allocation and balancing capacity 
  • Tactics for improved legal talent retention and career development 
  • Ways to reduce the cost of legal attrition and bolster law firm profitability 

BigHand Resource Management - Navigating the Million Dollar Problem report cover

The Bottom Line 
Data-driven strategies are key to increasing legal operations efficiency and achieving sustainable profitability. This report reveals where firms are falling behind and what steps can drive lasting improvement. 

Explore the findings to understand why visibility, planning, and action are vital for your firm’s future. 

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Navigating the Future of Legal Workforce Planning 

Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
  • Frequently Asked Questions

What you need to know about legal resource management

What is resource management in law firms?

Legal resource management refers to how law firms allocate work based on lawyer availability, skillsets, attorney utilization rates, and long-term development goals. It plays a central role in law firm succession planning, helping firms align talent with demand while improving operational efficiency, workload balance, reducing burnout, and improving profitability and retention. In most firms, this process is still manual or partner-led, lacking structure or transparency.
Why do law firms struggle with talent retention?

Firms face rising attrition due to factors including overwork, limited career progression, lack of visibility into skills, and poor work allocation. In 2025, attrition among senior associates and partners reached 27%, with work-life balance (20%) and hybrid working (22%) among the top reasons cited. Without equitable work allocation and clear legal talent retention strategies, firms struggle to retain mid-level associates, and risk weakening their future leadership pipeline.
What causes high attrition in law firms?

Top causes in 2025 included: 

  • Hybrid working expectations (22%) 
  • Work-life balance concerns (20%) 
  • Limited professional development opportunities (18%) 
  • Salaries not aligned with workload (18%) 

Associates are also increasingly leaving the profession or moving in-house. Lack of structured career paths and uneven workloads contribute heavily to dissatisfaction and exit decisions, putting law firm succession planning at risk.  
What is the cost of losing an associate lawyer?

The estimated cost of legal attrition of losing a third-year associate now exceeds $1 million. This includes lost billable revenue, recruitment and training expenses, and disruption to client relationships. High turnover also damages long-term planning by weakening the firm’s leadership pipeline and increasing pressure on remaining staff. 
How can law firms improve attorney utilization?

Improving utilization starts with visibility. Currently, only 49% of firms have full visibility into capacity, and even fewer (34%) use that data for proactive planning. Improving attorney utilization rates requires 

  • Real-time capacity data 
  • Centralized, unbiased allocation processes,  
  • Monitor workloads holistically  

These improvements increase productivity, support talent development, and protect law firm profitability.
How can firms retain legal talent without raising salaries?

Firms can strengthen legal talent retention through by focusing on career development, workload fairness, and flexibility see improved retention. In 2025: 

  • Only 34% had leadership training programs for associates 
  • Just 31% held regular development discussions 
  • 33% offered flexible working arrangements 

By investing in smarter resource management, firms can retain mid-level associates and support long-term growth, without relying solely on pay increases.  
Virtual Events
Exclusive Live Events for Law Firm Leaders
Experts unpack the 2025 BigHand Resource Management Report

Learn how to tackle soaring lawyer attrition, close visibility gaps in skills and resourcing, and protect client relationships in a market where time, talent, and trust are on the line.

Explore how firms shift to strategic, tech-driven resourcing.

Learn how real-time visibility and smarter delegation cut burnout, unlock development, and save billable hours, driving stronger business outcomes.