Biglaw

Elite Firm Will Require Vaccination, But Other Reopening Policies Are Very Flexible

This is one of the few firms that will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees.

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One by one, Biglaw firms have announced plans to return to the office, but not many have announced that all associates must be vaccinated. The majority of firms have strongly encouraged vaccination, but firms that are outright mandating vaccination seem to be few and far between. Today, we have news on a firm that’s not only requiring vaccination, but also has a relatively flexible remote work policy as well.

This past Friday, Clifford Chance announced an agile working policy for its American offices, with a return to office-based working to start on September 13. That plan involves up to two remote days each week for both attorneys and business professionals (and time spent with clients outside the office will be considered time in the office). Once or twice a month, all employees will be expected to be in the office on specific days for specific events. The firm’s plan is relatively simple so that employees can “reap the benefits without heavy bureaucracy.” That’s a nice change of pace from what we’ve seen at most firms.

Next comes the firm’s vaccination policy, which is also short and sweet: get vaccinated by September 13 and get ready to provide proof. Similar rules will soon be implemented for clients and non-employees who expect to enter the firm’s U.S. offices.

Sources we’ve heard from at the firm say they’re pleased with the firm’s “very flexible and reasonable” new policies and really “appreciate” the firm’s stance on vaccination against COVID-19.

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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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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