Positive energy

You can download the supplement, including in-depth analysis of the survey findings as well as advice on a range of ways of enhancing your career, here.

Although most respondents were pretty positive, they certainly did not hold back when it came to identifying what were the best and worst aspects of working in local government legal practice, and what they think could be done to improve their working environment.

There will be much for senior management to ponder over from the survey. The most pressing issue perhaps is the need to think about creating structures that allow ambitious lawyers to progress. Could more be done? Is it too easy to wring your hands of the problem? Are there examples of genuinely innovative developments out there? We would be delighted to hear about these and to write about them on Local Government Lawyer, so do get in touch.

The lawyers who took part also held forth on such varied subjects as shared services, department management, open plan working, and IT.

Shared services got a much more mixed reception than I was expecting, with one in four lawyers saying that they were less likely to apply to such a setup. As the rationalisation of local government legal departments continues apace (with last week's news on Newham and Havering), there is still a marketing job to be done by those in charge of running these new models.

The supplement's publication comes at a time when predictions of major job cuts in local government legal teams have yet to materialise. This week alone, Camden Council, West Sussex County Council, Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, Newham Council and Havering Council are hiring.

As Philip Thomson, County Solicitor at Essex County Council, says in the supplement: "While there are difficulties, actually it's a time of great opportunities for significant career development and good remuneration, particularly for those who can work through the solutions and come out the other end."

A big thank you to all those who took part in the survey. We will be choosing the winner of the £50 John Lewis vouchers shortly.