While
Biglaw
firms
continue
to
usher
attorneys
back
to
the
office
in
the
wake
of
the
pandemic,
hybrid
work
policies
still
remain
in
effect
in
some
way,
shape,
or
form,
with
fully
remote
policies
having
“nearly
disappeared.” But
what
do
those
hybrid
policies
look
like?
According
to
the
latest
study
by
Savills
Research
and
Data
Services
based
on
press
releases,
websites,
media
mentions,
and
job
postings
from
177
of
the
Am
Law
200,
more
than
half
of
those
firms
(55.9%)
are
using
a
flexible
hybrid
policy
and
39.5%
use
a
fixed
hybrid
policy.
Only
4%
of
those
firms
are
using
an
office-first
policy,
and
just
0.6%
of
firms
are
using
a
remote-first
policy.
The
American
Lawyer
has
additional
details:
A
total
of
82%
of
the
firms
require
specific
days
in
the
office,
with
nearly
half
of
them
requiring
three
days
in
the
office,
a
number
that’s
been
the
standard
for
several
years.
A
survey
by
Savills
Legal
Tenant
Practice
Group
in
early
2023 found that
three
days
a
week
in
the
office,
either
mandated
or
encouraged,
was
the
norm
at
Am
Law
100
firms.In
the
new
study,
Savills
found
that
only
1.3%
of
the
firms
that
mandated
attendance
on
specific
days
asked
for
one
day
a
week,
while
7.7%
required
attendance
five
days
a
week.At
the
other
18%
of
firms,
the
firms
expected
lawyers
in
the
office
for
a
range
of
days,
such
as
one
to
two,
or
three
to
five.Tuesday
through
Thursday
in
the
office
is
most
common.
While
three
days
is
the
norm,
we
know
of
quite
a
few
that
are
now
requiring
four
days
in
the
office,
including
the
likes
of Davis
Polk; Latham; Paul
Weiss; Ropes
&
Gray; Simpson
Thacher; Skadden; Vinson
&
Elkins; Weil
Gotshal; WilmerHale; White
&
Case; Sidley; Hogan
Lovells; A&O
Shearman;
and
Covington. Sullivan
&
Cromwell has
taken
its
attendance
policy
one
step
further,
requiring
attorneys
to
work
from
the
office
five
days
each
week.
Return-to-office
mandates
continue
to
evolve,
and
as
the
Savills
study
notes,
“[t]his
may
include
more
defined
schedules,
anchor
days
and
stronger
policy
enforcement.”
Tom
Fulcher,
chair
of
the
Legal
Tenant
Practice
Group
at
Savills,
said,
“It
just
feels
like
there’s
going
to
be
a
gradual
move
toward
more
and
more
days,
more
and
more
obligations
to
be
in
the
office.”
It’s
worth
noting
that
17%
of
firms
are
punishing
attorneys
who
don’t
adhere
to
attendance
mandates,
and
those
“consequences”
include
but
are
not
limited
to
“paid
time
off
or
promotions,
or
eliminating
the
lawyer’s
opportunity
to
work
remotely.”
Bonuses
are
specifically
targeted
at
more
than
60%
of
the
firms
that
are
disciplining
lawyers
for
not
coming
to
the
office.
What
does
the
future
of
in-person
attendance
look
like
at
your
law
firm?
Stay
tuned,
because
things
are
changing
by
the
day.
As
soon
as
you
find
out
about
office
attendance
plans
at
your
firm,
please email
us (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Office
Reopening”)
or
text
us
at
(646)
820-8477.
We
always
keep
our
sources
on
stories
anonymous.
There’s
no
need
to
send
a
memo
(if
one
exists)
using
your
firm
email
account;
your
personal
email
account
is
fine.
If
a
memo
has
been
circulated,
please
be
sure
to
include
it
as
proof;
we
like
to
post
complete
memos
as
a
service
to
our
readers.
You
can
take
a
photo
of
the
memo
and
attach
as
a
picture
if
you
are
worried
about
metadata
in
a
PDF
or
Word
file.
Thanks.
Hybrid
Work
Policies
Still
Dominate
at
Am
Law
200
Firms
[American
Lawyer]
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
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