The survey, undertaken by US legal recruiter Robert Half Legal, asked 300 lawyers from large US law firms and corporations what one aspect of their job they would change if given the opportunity. The top response, with 31 per cent of the votes, was “decreased job stress”. Following closely, with 30 per cent of the votes, was “less hours at work/more personal time”. Perhaps surprisingly, “higher salaries” was one the least popular responses, gaining only 2 per cent of the votes.

The results, published on the website earthtimes.org, showed that US lawyers would also favour accelerated career growth, greater professional autonomy and increased on—the— job training over higher salaries. Keep in mind, however, that a mid-level lawyer in a top US law firm can expect to earn about double the salary of their Australian counterpart, and will likely be working considerably longer hours.