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City law firms are some of the highest pressure, highest earning organisations on the planet. So they offer lots of cultural insights for any high performance company.

With our Founder Pip being a former litigator herself we are particularly interested in professional service mindset and culture - hence the research project.

3 key challenges emerged around perfectionism, workload and creating a climate of empathy vs fear.

Some nuggets that stood out:

"Excellence vs nice is a false dichotomy."

"We have to educate colleagues to deliver their best work without suffering."

"We're scared to have honest conversations with clients."

Big thanks to all featured contributors for their insights and honesty, to DAC Beachcroft and Herbert Smith Freehills for hosting the roundtables, and to the many lawyers we spoke to "off the record" who added colour and depth. 

Pip has been asked to contribute to a book on this subject so we remain keen to hear from lawyers, bankers and management consultants about your career choices and experience of your firm's culture. Do drop her a message if you are interested - on or off the record - at pip@thecircleline.co.uk.