Losing Associates Is Expensive. Here Is What Actually Keeps Them.

Replacing a departing associate can cost a firm well into the six figures once recruiting, ramp time, and lost billings are counted. This guide quantifies the cost of attrition, explains why lawyers actually leave, and lays out the retention levers that work — written to be shared internally with your partnership.

What’s inside

• A model for the true cost of losing one associate
• The real reasons attorneys leave (it is rarely just money)
• Retention levers that work — and the ones that do not
• Early-warning signals a departure is coming
• A partner-ready one-page summary for internal discussion