Generation Z has been steadily entering the workforce over the last decade. From personal conversations with clients and presentations at industry events, I know plaintiff firms are feeling the shift. From intake specialists to case managers, paralegals, and young associates, this generation is now an undeniable part of firm operations. Along with them has come a familiar set of labels, including but not limited to job hoppers, disloyal, entitled, lazy, disinterested, etc. What if those labels are wrong or at least incomplete? As a member of this generation, I believe we are highly driven, adaptable, and resilient due to the circumstances of our lifetime. While we may create discomfort in a traditional firm structure, discomfort is not a flaw, and it may be a signal that it is time to evolve. Vista CEO Tim McKey wrote earlier this year about firm operations using an MSO structure, a shift that similarly causes discomfort for firm owners. Like a young workforce, these uncomfortable shifts may ultimately push firms toward the evolution they need.
To understand this, you must understand the timing of their entry into adulthood. COVID-19 interrupted the most formative professional and social years. Many of us were in high school, college, or early internships when the pandemic hit. Instead of experiencing in-person internships, trial observation, networking events, and day-to-day professional interactions, we were sent home. Learning went online. Feedback was inconsistent. Milestones like graduations and first jobs were reduced to emails, electronic signature documents, and poorly executed Zoom calls. When life started to return to normal, the expectation was that everyone would simply snap back. However, social confidence, professional presence, and resilience don’t magically regenerate after years of limited real-world practice. Skills that were once natural or in the process of development, like building rapport, speaking up in front of peers, and taking criticism, suddenly felt harder. This context matters, especially in plaintiff firms where communication, confidence, and client interaction are central to success.
Another common complaint about Gen Z is that we are sensitive. Rather than view it as sensitivity, I view it as a lack of reps. It’s like trial work! No one expects a new associate to walk into their first deposition with the same composure as someone who has done it a hundred times. Confidence comes from repetition, making mistakes, getting corrected, and doing it again. Gen Z’s “sensitivity” reflects fewer reps in live, face-to-face professional environments, not an inability to perform under pressure. Firms are fast-paced, high-stakes, and occasionally emotionally charged, especially when in client-facing roles. Past generations were trained in environments that rewarded a tough, competitive, survival-of-the-fittest, old-school corporate culture where underperformers were routinely pushed out. That model doesn’t resonate with us, not because we are weak, but because we were trained differently. We grew up with instant feedback (online learning, test scoring, gaming) and fewer opportunities to fail publicly and recover. When you haven’t failed publicly, criticism can feel incredibly personal. It is not personal because we don’t want accountability; it feels personal because we were shorted on opportunities to fail safely paired with coaching.
A large complaint across industries about Gen Z is our short job tenure. Context matters here. For this generation, the cost of living is dramatically higher, home ownership feels unattainable, entry-level roles are automated or outsourced, and student debt/inflation eliminate early-career stability. Those challenges and the desire to reclaim the social years we lost make compensation suddenly more than a number; it is survival. Right behind pay on Gen Z’s priorities is clarity. If there is no clear growth path for skills, responsibility, or future roles, we are more likely to leave. Not out of disloyalty or an unwillingness to work hard, but out of self-preservation.
For plaintiff firms, this can hit close to home, especially in intake. On the other hand, as a client, I (personally) would never call a law firm. I am far more likely to use the online chat box, text a number if one is provided, or send an email. Remember to keep the younger folks in mind when you’re looking at the marketing breakdown! This fear of phone calls stems from growing up with texting as the default mode of communication. Texting is polite, non-intrusive, and respectful of someone else’s time. Phone calls feel urgent and interruptive, and in our minds, should be reserved for emergencies. When you combine that mindset with limited practice, anxiety naturally follows. It is not that they can’t do it; it is that they feel they’re imposing, unprepared, or doing it incorrectly. This is especially relevant for intake teams, where phone confidence directly impacts conversion rates. The solution is structured practice, scripts, role-playing, and reassurance that confidence comes from repetition.
That was a lot of context and dogging on us Gen Z-ers, but there is an upside! We want to do well, and we can thrive. We are eager to impress, deeply motivated by purpose, and energized by understanding how our work impacts real people. Plaintiff firms are guided by a clear mission: helping injured clients, holding wrongdoers accountable, and driving meaningful change. Aligning these team members with your mission is powerful once it is activated.
How can it be activated? How do leaders adapt without lowering their standards?
Don’t see Gen Z as a problem that needs to be solved; see us as a valuable resource to be developed and cultivated. We are not asking you to lower your high standards, slow down your pace, or abandon the proven methods that have historically brought success. Instead, the firms that will truly stand out and lead the way won’t be the ones stuck asking why Gen Z is so different. They will be the forward-thinking organizations willing to adapt their leadership and communication styles without ever compromising their commitment to excellence. By thoughtfully evolving alongside their emerging workforce, these firms will ultimately build stronger, more stable, and more agile teams better equipped to face future challenges.
