Partners
have
reportedly
taken
a
break
from
the
million-dollar
summer
homes
their
associates
toil
to
make
possible
to
let
the
rabble
know
that
their
hefty
bonuses
might
be
“in
jeopardy”
because
they
haven’t
done
enough
hallway
waving
this
quarter.
To
be
clear,
the
problem
isn’t
hours
—
tipsters
writing
in
about
this
practice
claim
to
be
on
track
for
north
of
2100
—
but
attendance,
because
if
an
associate
wigs
out
on
caffeine
and
adderall
while
furiously
citechecking
and
no
one
is
down
the
hall,
does
it
really
even
happen?
King
&
Spalding
partners
want
attorneys
in
the
office
more
and
are
in
the
midst
of
what’s
being
described
as
an
“awkward”
campaign
to
urge
folks
back
into
the
hallways.
As
usual,
associate
bonuses
have
become
a
bargaining
chip.
And
it
might
not
just
be
going
forward,
with
some
veiled
threats
that
this
policy
would
apply
retroactively.
Insiders
describe
this
as
a
massive
culture
shock
because
the
firm
has
never
exhibited
much
concern
about
office
attendance
before
—
even
known
to
describe
itself
as
a
“no
facetime”
firm
on
the
recruiting
trail.
The
target
for
attendance
seems
modest,
with
tipsters
claiming
the
firm
is
seeking
50
percent
attendance,
which
makes
the
dire
financial
threat
all
the
more
disproportionate.
To
be
clear,
none
of
this
is
in
writing
and
our
informants
say
the
conversations
about
bonuses
haven’t
involved
any
details,
though
the
insinuation
that
bonuses
may
be
retroactively
impacted
feels
like
bringing
a
nuclear
device
to
a
knife
fight.
Those
in
the
trenches
—
especially
those
who
ran
up
record
revenue
working
from
home
through
a
global
pandemic
unprecedented
since
attorneys
turned
drafts
via
passenger
raven
during
the
Black
Death
—
understandably
balk
at
firms
calling
them
back
into
the
office.
Many
young
lawyers
made
life
decisions
based
on
years
of
hybrid
work,
having
moved
further
from
the
office
or
scheduled
kids’
practices
for
Tuesday
afternoons
or
invested
in
an
all-sweatpants
wardrobe.
Those
folks
can’t
necessarily
turn
on
a
dime
when
a
firm
yanks
the
hybrid
floor
out
from
under
them.
That
said,
regardless
of
what
the
glossy
brochure
says,
law
school
doesn’t
produce
practice-ready
attorneys.
The
profession
relies
upon
on-the-job
training
and
there
are
a
lot
of
lessons
that
just
don’t
come
across
when
there’s
not
a
midlevel
standing
next
to
you
explaining
why
you’re
using
the
wrong
letterhead.
Senior
lawyers
keep
reporting
that
the
new
crop
of
lawyers
are
woefully
behind
where
they
should
be.
And
that’s
before
you
consider
Gen
Z
lawyers
out
here
telling
senior
associates
“Nah,
you
do
that”
when
they
aren’t
biting
people.
So
it’s
not
just
the
voyeuristic
thrill
of
watching
associates
bleed
out
in
real
time
or
providing
your
office
fling
more
privacy
than
a
Coldplay
concert.
Training
matters
and
some
of
that
has
to
be
in
person.
Still,
when
remote
work
brought
banner
earnings,
happier
lawyers,
and
fewer
dead
plants,
rolling
that
back
takes
a
deft
touch.
Which
is
to
say
the
opposite
of
“maybe
we’ll
take
away
your
bonus
for
not
predicting
in
February
that
we’d
have
new
priorities
in
July.”
Biglaw
bonuses
are
not
bonuses.
Some
firms
offer
supplemental
bonuses
for
high
performers,
but
the
lockstep
associate
bonus
is
really
deferred
compensation.
It’s
the
firm
paying
market
without
binding
itself
to
match
the
next
year.
When
the
“bonus”
is
really
part
of
the
expected
salary,
messing
with
it
becomes
shady.
Probably
a
partner
who
cares
more
about
having
a
captive
audience
to
laugh
at
his
jokes
because
their
financial
well-being
depends
on
it.
Returning
to
the
office,
like
introducing
a
new
tech
platform,
requires
buy-in.
The
whole
team
needs
to
be
sold
on
the
mission
and
leadership
needs
to
be
adaptable
to
make
it
happen.
This
isn’t
a
flip-switching
exercise.
Well,
it
can
be,
but
only
if
the
firm
wants
to
bleed
talent
like
a
Tarantino
character
with
a
neck
wound.
If
the
firm
wants
to
be
successful,
everyone
needs
to
understand
the
goal
and
feel
excited
about
pitching
in.
When
firms
talk
about
bringing
people
back
to
the
office
to
build
“community”
or
“culture,”
they’ve
got
it
backward:
the
firm
needs
a
strong
culture
first
so
people
want
to
come
in.
And
persuading
people
is
harder
than
threatening
people,
but
if
anyone
can
do
it,
it
should
be
the
lawyers.
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or
Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
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politics,
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sports
news.
Joe
also
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Managing
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