Associates: Keep Quiet - from NJL

The new associate mantra: Keep quiet - With layoffs piling up, associates do their best to fly under the radar.

With law firms unloading scores of attorneys amid the economic downturn, associates are finding that the balance of power has shifted away from them and into the hands of law firm managers. Gone are the days — as recent as a year ago — when firms had to pile on the perks to keep associates from jumping ship. With few ships for associates to jump to these days, young attorneys are increasingly reluctant to raise any issue that might put an unwanted target on their backs.