eNPS, or employee net promoter score, comes from one question: how likely are you to recommend the firm as a place to work? Scores run from -100 to +100. A good eNPS for a US law firm sits above zero, holds steady or improves each year and stays fairly even across practice groups and class years. Your own trend and your internal spread tell you more than any universal target.
The short version
- eNPS is the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors, so a positive score means more promoters than detractors.
- Your own trend over time is the most useful comparison you have.
- Breaking the score out by class year, practice group and office is what makes it usable.
- Law firms are structured differently from most employers, so legal benchmarks are the best outside comparison.
- eNPS works best next to a fuller engagement survey that explains the number.
How is eNPS calculated?
Attorneys answer on a 0 to 10 scale. Those who answer 9 or 10 are promoters. Those who answer 7 or 8 are passives. Those who answer 0 to 6 are detractors. Subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters to get your eNPS. Passives are left out of the math, though their comments are often the most useful part.
If 55% of your attorneys are promoters and 15% are detractors, your eNPS is 40.
What counts as a good eNPS for a law firm?
A score above zero means more attorneys would recommend the firm than would not. That is a solid place to start. After that, three comparisons matter more than the headline number.
Your own history. A firm that moves from 12 to 22 over two cycles is doing something right, whatever the number.
Your internal spread. A firm-wide score of 25 with one practice group at 45 and another at 5 is two different stories. The second group is where the work is.
Legal benchmarks. Other US law firms give you context that cross-industry averages cannot.
Why don't cross-industry benchmarks fit law firms?
Law firms have a structure few employers share: a partnership track, cohort-based progression, billable expectations and matter-driven work allocation. Attorneys have all of that in mind when they answer.
Outside benchmarks also move. Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026 report found that 20% of employees worldwide were engaged in 2025, down from a peak of 23% in 2022. Sentiment shifts every year in every sector, so a target set once ages quickly. A benchmark refreshed each year from firms like yours stays useful much longer.
How should firms break out eNPS results?
| Comparison | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Year on year, firm-wide | Whether the overall direction is improving |
| By class year | Where in the progression attorneys feel most and least supported |
| By practice group | Which teams have working conditions worth learning from |
| By office | Whether location or local leadership shapes the experience |
| Entry-level and lateral | How well the firm brings in people who joined mid-career |
Small groups need the same care as any survey. Set a reporting threshold with your administrator in advance, so results appear only once enough people have answered.
What moves eNPS at a law firm?
The follow-up comment is where you find out. The themes that come up most are the quality of feedback attorneys get, how matters are allocated, how clear the next step looks, how consistent supervision is across partners and how flexibility works in practice. Each one is something a firm can act on, which is why the open-text answer is as valuable as the score.
Why does eNPS matter for retention?
It gives you a regular signal while there is still time to talk. The NALP Foundation's Update on Associate Attrition for 2025, released in April 2026, found that 83% of associates who left that year did so within five years of hire, up from 80% in 2024. Average associate attrition was 19% in 2025 compared with 20% in 2024. Firms with 100 or fewer attorneys reported 24%.
Those departures build over time. A quarterly or half-yearly pulse shows sentiment moving early enough to respond. eNPS is one of the measures firms track beyond billable hours, and our attorney performance review guide shows how firms tie these signals to the review cycle.
See where your score sits among US law firms. Survey Research Associates (SRA) produces legal-specific engagement benchmarks, so firms can compare with peers instead of cross-industry averages.
How often should a firm measure eNPS?
Quarterly or twice a year suits most firms. That is often enough to show movement and light enough to keep response rates healthy. Many firms run a short pulse alongside one full engagement survey a year, so the number has context. Our comparison of performance management tools for US law firms covers the options for running it. Share the results each round and say what you plan to do next. That is what keeps people answering.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good eNPS for a law firm?
A positive score is a good start. A score that improves each year and stays even across practice groups is a strong one. Your own trend and internal spread are the best measures of progress.
How is eNPS calculated?
Subtract the percentage of detractors, who answer 0 to 6, from the percentage of promoters, who answer 9 or 10. Passives, who answer 7 or 8, are not counted.
Is eNPS the same as an engagement survey?
No. eNPS is one question that gives a quick pulse. An engagement survey covers the drivers behind it, such as supervision, development and workload. Most firms use both.
Should partners and associates be scored together?
Report both, and look at them separately too. The two groups experience the firm differently, and one combined figure can hide a pattern worth acting on.
Can a small practice group's eNPS be reported safely?
Yes, with a threshold set in advance. Results appear only once enough people have answered, and smaller teams can be reported inside a larger group.
How fast does eNPS respond to change?
Most firms see movement over two to four cycles. Sharing results and acting on one or two themes shows up sooner than broad initiatives do.
Survey Research Associates (SRA) has designed and administered upward reviews, 360-degree evaluations, self-assessments and engagement surveys for US law firms since 1991. Talk to our team about your next review cycle, or get our monthly law firm evaluation brief in your inbox.