This Top 20 Biglaw Firm Wants Associates In The Office 3-4 Days Each Week
Perhaps some Milbank money would make this easier to swallow.
Now that the COVID-19 omicron variant seems to be tapering off, Biglaw firms are really looking forward to things getting back to normal — and in this case, that means heading back to the office. Yet again, we have a top law firm inviting associates back to the office without word on matching the new Milbank salary scale.
Earlier this week, Simpson Thacher & Barlett, a firm that’s in the top 20 of the Am Law 100 (No. 14, to be exact), notified associates that they’d be due back in the office on March 14. Associates are expected to spend three to four days each week in the office, on average, starting next month. Sources we’ve heard from didn’t exactly seem thrilled about this plan.
The firm, however, is focusing on the flexibility of its hybrid model, and will be offering several remote blocks throughout the year. Here’s an excerpt from the Simpson Thacher memo (available on the next page):
Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
We want to reinforce our support for the ongoing need for flexibility by announcing we will be “Remote First” during certain periods this year including the month of August, the week of Thanksgiving and the last two weeks of the year. During that time our regular in-person schedule will be suspended. The office will remain open for those who prefer to work from there or for those whose client work requires it.
We certainly hope that by the time those remote weeks roll around, the firm will have adopted the soon-to-be prevailing Biglaw salary scale.
(Flip to the next page to read the Simpson Thacher memo in full.)
As soon as you find out about reopening plans 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.
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
Law Firms Now Have A Choice In Their Document Comparison Software
How Transactional Lawyers Can Better Serve (And Maintain) Their Clients
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 follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
Sponsored
AI’s Impact On Law Firms Of Every Size
