As
Biglaw
firms
beckon
their
attorneys
to
return
to
the
office
in
the
wake
of
the
coronavirus
crisis,
we
got
to
wondering
what
may
be
happening
in
the
in-house
counsel
world.
It
used
to
be
that
remote
work
requests
from
general
counsel
prospects
were
widely
granted,
with
remote
work
even
becoming
the
norm
in
post-pandemic
years.
But
now,
just
two
years
later,
things
have
drastically
changed.
How
so?
Per
Corporate
Counsel,
“the
era
of
the
remote
GC
is
officially
over.”
The
change
reflects
the
belief
among
many
CEOs
and
other
corporate
leaders
that
in-office
time
fosters
greater
collaboration,
deeper
relationships
and
greater
creativity,
as
well
as
unstructured
moments
of
learning
that
are
crucial
to
the
development
of
employees
early
in
their
careers.Many
executives
held
those
views
all
along
but
were
reluctant
to
push
them
in
the
sizzling
job
market
of
2021
and
early
2022,
fearing
that
prized
employees
might
jump
ship.
The
market
has
since
softened
a
bit,
while
the
end
of
the
COVID-19
pandemic
has
further
emboldened
company
leaders
to
impose
more
stringent
return-to-office
policies.
As
noted
by
Chicago-based
in-house
recruiter
Mike
Evers,
“hard
hybrid”
is
the
model
that
many
law
departments
are
now
using,
which
can
be
likened
to
Biglaw’s
“core”
days,
with
employees
required
to
come
to
the
office
on
specific
days.
“This
could
mean
having
to
relocate.
It
removes
completely
the
option
of
someone
living
in
Denver
or
Florida
and
working
in
Chicago,”
he
told
Corporate
Counsel.
“It
has
now
moved
to
where,
in
most
cases,
you
do
need
to
work
where
the
job
is.”
In
fact,
some
companies
that
hired
remote
GCs
have
asked
them
to
relocate
in
order
to
accommodate
their
new
in-office
requirements.
That
sounds
like
a
tall
order,
but
at
least
some
executives
are
being
sensitive
about
these
hard
asks:
At
the
same
time,
[Edina
Beasley,
managing
director
of
Major,
Lindsey
&
Africa’s
in-house
counsel
recruiting
team,]
said,
“many
leaders
are
wary
of
alienating
GCs
who,
having
uprooted
their
lives
and
schedules
during
the
pandemic,
are
resisting
returning
to
the
office
full
time,”
she
said.“Clearly,
there
is
a
need
for
a
delicate
balance
there,
and
leaders
are
recognizing
it,”
she
said.
On
the
flip
side
of
the
coin,
John
Gilmore,
managing
partner
of
the
in-house
recruiting
firm
BarkerGilmore,
said
that
bigger
companies
are
looking
for
their
legal
chief
to
be
“on
the
ground
with
the
rest
of
the
executive
team”
if
only
because
they’re
wary
that
a
remote
GC
may
up
and
run
if
another
closer
opportunity
presents
itself.
One
reason,
[Gilmore]
said,
is
that
many
clients
are
skeptical
a
remote
GC
would
be
fully
committed
to
the
company
for
the
long
term.
“Will
they
do
it
up
until
the
point
where
they
have
something
that’s
in
their
backyard
and
then
make
a
quick
turn?”
he
asked.“They’re
looking
for
a
long-term
commitment
to
the
company
and
the
only
way
it’s
sustainable
is
for
that
person
to
physically
move,”
he
said.
Fully
remote
working
conditions
in
the
in-house
world
now
seem
to
be
firmly
in
the
rearview
mirror,
especially
for
general
counsel.
Alas,
the
grass
is
no
longer
greener
in-house,
at
least
when
it
comes
to
a
remote
or
truly
hybrid
work
experience.
Remote
GC
Revolution
Fizzles
Out
as
Employers
Flock
to
‘Hard
Hybrid’
[Corporate
Counsel]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
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Twitter
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Threads
or
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with
her
on
LinkedIn.