Biglaw

Simpson Thacher Won't Delay Its U.S. Office Reopenings, But Adjusts Its Face-Time Expectations For Attorneys

Three to four days per week in the office will no longer be required.

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When we last checked in with Simpson Thacher — a firm ranked 14th on the latest Am Law 100, with $1,844,627,000 in 2020 gross revenue — they were planning to reopen their U.S. offices on September 13, with “the ultimate goal” of having lawyers in the office three or four days each week. This plan was announced in late May, and since then, many firms have walked back their original plans, delaying their reopening dates until later in the fall due to the spread of the Delta variant. What is STB planning to do?

Earlier this month, the firm scrapped its plans to reopen on September 13, settling on October 18 instead. Many other Biglaw firms have chosen the same date, but there’s still time for them to change their minds. In fact, some firms have already decided to forgo reopening this year at all.

Today, Simpson Thacher confirmed that it will stay the course with its planned October 18 reopening date for its U.S. offices — but with a few adjustments. Of note now is the fact that STB will no longer require lawyers to come to the office three or four days per week. Here’s an excerpt from a memo that was sent out this morning by Jennifer Hobbs and Thomas Wuchinech, members of the firm’s executive committee (emphasis added; full memo available on the next page):

While our U.S. offices will be fully open as of October 18th, we recognize that there remains anxiety and uncertainty related to the Delta variant. As such, we will be more flexible regarding the number of days lawyers would ideally be in the office for the remainder of the year. To that end, it is our hope that lawyers will join us back in the office to the extent they are comfortable, at least one or two days per week beginning on October 18th.

Hobbs and Wuchinech go on to mention that the firm is reopening on schedule to provide important career opportunities like “reestablishing physical connectedness with our colleagues” because “informal social interactions are critical to fostering collegiality and camaraderie and in building trust in our teams.”

Insiders at the firm seem less-than thrilled with the reopening plan, with one telling us: “This is an incredibly disappointing decision in the face of a pandemic that is clearly not over. I can’t believe I am forced to choose between between ensuring my family’s safety or meeting the firm’s ‘expectations.'”

Perhaps recognizing that not everyone would be pleased with this plan, Simpson Thacher is instituting a specific period of remote work for the winter holidays:

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Finally, we are cognizant of avoiding unnecessary stress and friction during this transition period, so it is our intention to encourage all U.S. lawyers to work remotely Thanksgiving week and the last two weeks of the year (December 20th-January 2nd). We will revisit our reopening plans again later this year to provide further guidance for 2022.

Simpson Thacher will soon provide additional information on health and safety protocols that will be in place upon its formal reopening. The firm has already barred the unvaccinated from its offices. Perks like free breakfast and lunch will remain in place for all personnel through the end of the year.

There’s still a month to go before the firm is scheduled to reopen, and as we all know far too well, anything can happen between now and then. Let’s see if Simpson Thacher’s plans actually come to fruition.

(Flip to the next page to read the full memo from Simpson Thacher.)

What has your firm announced as far as a reopening plan is concerned? The more information is out there, the more likely it is that firms will be able to establish a market standard for a return to work.

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As soon as you find out about the reopening plan 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.

Staci ZaretskyStaci 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 follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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