The firm’s London office is looking for a professional support lawyer to provide targeted training for young staff. A job advert for the role initially cited the need for “more hand-holding/explaining [is] needed for Gen Z/ post-lockdown”.

The advert was later edited to remove the reference to Gen Z but continued to state that the new hire would be expected to offer extra coaching to junior lawyers.

The issue has sparked wider debate in the City legal sector, with senior lawyers criticising their younger colleagues for resisting traditional industry demands. Lawyers posting on Roll On Friday claimed that Gen Z staff often arrive late, leave early, avoid phone calls, and expect a better work-life balance despite receiving record-high salaries.

One lawyer claimed that a trainee at their firm refused to work before 9:30 am or after 5:30 pm, struggled to keep up with emails, and eventually took sick leave due to stress before she was dismissed. Another said a junior colleague had refused to work more than two all-nighters in a week when their family was visiting.

Christopher Clark, a legal recruiter, dismissed the expectation of high salaries with short hours as “delusional”, warning that junior lawyers would face short careers if they were unwilling to meet traditional demands.

Competition between US law firms has driven starting salaries to record levels since the pandemic. Gibson Dunn now pays £180,000 to newly qualified solicitors in London, matching the highest salaries offered by US firms Paul Weiss and Davis Polk.

Gibson Dunn’s partners earned an average of £4.4 million in 2024, while newly qualified solicitors routinely billed clients over £1,000 an hour. Internal data suggests that staff worked an average day of 9:18 am to 8:46 pm.