The Real Cost of Turnover in Law Firms — And How to Prevent It Operationally
Hiring is expensive. Losing good people is worse.
While many law firms focus on compensation or culture to retain staff, the real driver behind most turnover? Operational dysfunction.
Here’s how vague roles, poor onboarding, and reactive management quietly push your best people out — and what to do about it.
1. The Financial Cost of Turnover
It’s not just recruiting fees.
You lose:
Institutional knowledge
Billable time during ramp-up
Morale and momentum
Clients, when service suffers
The total cost? Often 1.5x to 2x the employee’s annual salary — or more.
2. The Operational Problems That Drive It
Vague roles: People can’t succeed if they don’t know what success looks like.
Reactive leadership: Fire drills replace forward planning.
No onboarding: “Sink or swim” is not a strategy.
Lack of accountability: Frustrates high performers and rewards low ones.
No growth path: If people can’t see a future, they’ll find one elsewhere.
3. How a COO Helps Retain Your Team
Clarifies every role
Structures onboarding and feedback
Builds performance tracking
Creates communication rhythms
Helps leadership lead with consistency
Ready to stop the talent churn? Schedule a consultation with ING Collaborations — and start building a firm people want to grow with.