Last
year,
I
covered
Seward
&
Kissel’s
annual
Ugly
Sweater
Contest
from
afar.
This
year,
the
firm
offered
me
the
opportunity
to
engage
in
authentic
participatory
journalism
as
a
member
of
the
judging
panel.
Perched
at
the
end
of
a
runway
in
the
firm’s
lobby
conference
room,
watching
well
over
100
of
the
firm’s
lawyers
and
staff
either
crowd
into
the
room
or
poke
their
heads
in
from
the
standing
room
overflow
in
the
hall,
it
becomes
abundantly
clear
that,
at
this
point,
calling
this
an
“ugly
sweater
contest”
is
like
calling
the
Super
Bowl
a
“football
game.”
Technically
accurate,
but
unable
to
capture
the
proceedings.
Because
this
is
Seward
&
Kissel
we’re
talking
about
—
a
firm
that
thrives
on
“extra”
when
it
comes
to
culture
—
the
sweater
contest
has
evolved
beyond
a
parade
of
garish
jumpers
into
a
full-blown
costume
pageant.
Themed
floor
entries!
Coordinated
performances!
Floats!
FLOATS!
Partner
Steve
Nadel
once
again
helmed
the
proceedings,
informing
the
judges
that
multiple
competitors
had
privately
assured
him
that
they
were
confident
that
they
would
win
this
year.
The
confidence
wasn’t
misplaced,
with
banger
after
banger
of
themed
productions:
a
tribute
to
Christmas
Vacation,
a
fully
committed
Whoville
encounter
complete
with
Grinch,
and
a
Holiday
Culkin
Mashup
weaving
together
Home
Alone
and
Succession.
In
the
end
though,
the
19th
floor
extended
its
winning
streak
with
a
Peanuts
tribute
that
rolled
down
the
runway
behind
a
literal
rolling
cart.
A
makeshift
float
pushing
the
floor’s
designated
Schroeder
down
the
runway
as
he
banged
away
at
a
miniature
red
piano.
It
was
absurd
and
delightful
in
all
the
expected
ways.
Charlie
was,
we
can
confirm,
unable
to
kick
the
football.
At
a
time
when
firms
across
Biglaw
are
wrestling
with
return-to-office
policies,
Seward
&
Kissel
is
putting
equal
effort
into
asking
the
more
important
question:
what
if
people
actually
wanted
to
come
to
work?
An
annual
sweater
contest
isn’t
the
lynchpin
that
brings
people
into
the
office
four
days
out
of
the
week
all
year.
But
seeing
an
annual
event
like
this
as
an
isolated
affair
misses
the
point.
This
crowd
doesn’t
gather
in
numbers
like
these
without
pre-existing,
constantly
cultivated
esprit
de
corps.
And
that
culture
doesn’t
form
without
a
willingness
to
regularly
break
outside
the
box
and
build
a
record-breaking
miniature
golf
hole.
It’s
a
virtuous
cycle
that
makes
then
office
more
pleasant
the
rest
of
the
year.
After
the
event,
one
refugee
from
another
Biglaw
firm
that
I
won’t
call
out
here
told
me
that
they
actually
look
forward
to
going
into
the
office
for
the
first
time
in
their
career.
Meanwhile,
a
client
who
joined
me
on
the
panel
made
a
point
of
noting
that
the
firm’s
culture
noticeably
spills
over
into
the
client
experience.
Happy
lawyers,
it
turns
out,
provide
better
service.
Revolutionary
concept.
Not
everyone
is
built
for
participating
in
a
holiday
pageant
—
and
that’s
fine.
The
number
of
spectators
proved
that
even
the
more
reserved
folks
appreciated
the
spectacle.
But
whether
they
were
watching
along
or
fully
suited
up
as
a
cartoon
character,
everyone
wanted
to
be
involved.
There’s
a
place
for
return-to-office
mandates,
but
firms
shouldn’t
overlook
the
carrot
half
of
the
carrot
and
stick
equation.
The
19th
floor’s
mini-dynasty
continues.
The
rest
of
the
firm
has
a
year
to
plot
their
responses.
Good
luck.
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
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a
Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.