Biglaw

Top 50 Biglaw Firm Rolls Out Incredible Bonus-Eligible Time-Off Policy

Wow. Kudos to this firm for taking mental health seriously.

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Thanks to the pandemic, it’s been a year since lawyers were forced to leave the comforts of their offices and adapt to working from home on a semi-permanent basis. The thought of working from home used to be seen as a somewhat of a luxury, but after doing it for 12 months straight, it’s become simply exhausting. When your home is your office and your office is your home, the concept of work-life balance is no more, especially for lawyers who thought they were always “on” even before the coronavirus crisis. One firm has come up with an amazing solution for this problem.

Orrick — a firm that brought in $1,158,537,000 in 2019 gross revenue, placing in at No. 31 in the most recent Am Law 100 rankings — is offering everyone (i.e., staff, associates, of counsel, career associates, and partners) the chance to truly “unplug.” The firm will credit 40 hours of bonus-eligible time for everyone to sit back, relax, and stop doing work. Here’s an excerpt from the Orrick memo announcing this fantastic policy (available in full on the next page):

Many Biglaw firms talk a good game about mental health and wellness, but Orrick is the first firm that we know of to offer bonus-eligible hours dedicated to taking time off work. If anything, the firm’s new policy is like the opposite of what Biglaw is known for, and Orrick should be commended for offering its employees a way to care for themselves without having to worry about work for once.

The firm also noted in the memo announcing its “Unplug Time” policy that it will be expanding its caregivers program beyond the first quarter of 2021. If you recall, Orrick offered a special program for lawyers who have also worked as family caretakers (for children, elderly parents, or both) during the pandemic, allowing associates and of counsel to work an 80 percent schedule at full compensation. Employees who took this benefit will be able to continue to do so, returning to full-time work as vaccines and caretaking resources become available.

Last, but certainly not least, Orrick is also instituting a “Focused Fridays” program, where non-essential meetings are discouraged so that employees can have time to get their work done during the work week and actually enjoy their weekends.

It’s also worth noting that while promoting these positive work-life balance policies, Orrick also announced its plans to reopen its offices. In June, the firm will relax its office access, and allow those who wish to return to do so. In September, the firm hopes to fully reopen its offices, noting that those who are able to do their jobs remotely will not be required to return to the office five days a week.

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Congratulations to Orrick on its exceptional new wellness policies. This firm is taking the lead on employee mental health in the pandemic era, and we can only hope that more firms follow its lead and make taking time off billable.

(Flip to the next page to read Orrick’s memo in full.)

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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