Top 50 Biglaw Firm Announces Latest Return-To-Office Date Yet, With Masks Required -- For Now

More than half of firm personnel have already been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Flexibility is the name of the game at Perkins Coie, where attorneys and staffers won’t be expected to return to the firm until October 1. To our knowledge, of firms that will be requiring personnel to return to the office in 2021, this is the latest reopening date that’s been announced yet.

The firm’s decisions on hybrid schedules have yet to be announced, but earlier this week, managing partner Bill Malley said, “We’re considering that whole range of issues. We know that firms are landing all over the map. A reason we’re taking our time here is that we want to get it right.” For the time being, it looks like lawyers will be coming into the office a set number of days (days they’ll able to choose themselves), while staff remote options will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. “For staff that have fixed work schedules [that will dictate their in-office requirements]. For lawyers there’s much more autonomy,” Malley said. “Expect broader guidance and recommendations.”

What the firm has done so far is commendable. From the American Lawyer:

Malley said Perkins Coie held a firmwide webinar with doctors and vaccine experts to educate employees about the COVID-19 vaccines and answer questions. Late last month, the firm sent also out a survey to all employees and staff to gauge how many have been vaccinated. He says that 90% of the firm filled out the survey, and 75% of those who did said they were vaccinated.

But, as Malley noted, there are still some things to work out. For now, the firm is not hewing to Centers for Disease Control guidelines and is still requiring employees in the office to wear face masks and social distance—although Malley said firm leadership is reviewing this policy.

The firm hasn’t even mandated employee vaccination, and the majority have already received their shots. Not too shabby, Perkins Coie!

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.

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.

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Perkins Coie Plans October Return, With Vaccines, Masks and Hybrid Work in Mind [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 or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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