Biglaw

Biglaw Firms Without Office Attendance Mandates Are Figuring Out What Works -- And What Doesn't

It turns out Gen Z wants to be in the office for more human interaction and mentoring. Who knew?

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diverse group of law studentsBiglaw associates across the country are begrudgingly getting used to the fact that they’re going to be expected in the office more — a lot more, at some firms. With several top-ranked firms now mandating that associates be at their desks four days a week, West Coast firms that have resisted making these moves are looking better and better.

But some of these fantasy firms — where a four-day in-office work week is “simply not West Coast work culture” — are seeing trouble rise to the surface when it comes to creating meaningful in-person sessions for their younger associates. How are these problems being solved? The American Lawyer has the details:

[Major, Lindsey & Africa recruiter Kate Reder] Sheikh said the most effective approach she’s seen is core days—where attorneys are able to settle on two or three days for an entire practice group or team to be together in the office.

“Ultimately, where the majority of associates have landed is they want to be trusted to do their work where they are, and they want community and mentoring from their team when they come in,” she said.

Junior and midlevel associates especially “want to be in the thick of things, getting exposure to as much as possible in different specialties within their practice group,” [Lorraine Connally, a recruiter at Swan Legal Search] said. “They tend to be sponges at this level, and want to learn as much as possible.”

What’s happened to the Biglaw associate who had no desire to go to the office? According to Sheikh, there’s been a “metamorphosis” of sorts among the youngest members of Gen Z who are now entering the Biglaw workforce. “The vibe is changing,” Sheikh said, “because they have different needs.”

And how will Biglaw be able to cater to all generations of associates, who all want different things from their work experiences, all at the same time? There’s definitely going to be a bit of a learning curve here, but at least firms know what not to do.

“What is not effective is telling people to be in a few days a week, but there’s no one else there,” said Sheikh. “The experience people are having, anecdotally, is they are going into the office because it’s required or expected, and all of their meetings are on Zoom anyway.”

Much like their associates, Biglaw is still figuring this out, and hopefully things will come together in the right way sooner rather than later. For the time being, what we know is this: attendance mandates make associates feel like they’re being punished, so it’s on the firms to make associates’ time in the office feel more valuable.

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‘The Vibe Is Changing’: Flexible Law Firms Struggle to Get Attorneys on the Same Page [American Lawyer]

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 and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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