Biglaw

Top Biglaw Firm Will Allow Associates To Control Their Own Office Schedules, Work Remotely 'Whenever ... Appropriate'

Associates will be in control of their own careers at this firm. How exciting!

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Whoa! This seems great!

No desire to go into the office? No problem. Wouldn’t it be nice if all law firms had office reopening policies like this? Try not to be too jealous.

This seems to be what’s happening at Gibson Dunn, which announced its return-to-office plan earlier this week. The firm will throw open its doors on September 13, and according to a memo sent by managing partner Barbara Becker, lawyers will be free to make their own office schedules.

“You are free to work remotely whenever it is appropriate, taking into account the needs of our clients and your teams, and you should feel comfortable doing so,” Becker said in her email to attorneys. “The ability to structure our schedules in a way that is responsive to the needs of our clients and teams, as well as our essential personal and family priorities, is key to a vibrant and sustainable career,” she noted.

But associates — especially junior associates — should be aware they’ll need to have a presence in the office from time to time. The American Lawyer has details:

Becker acknowledged the benefits, both to the firm and to attorneys’ professional development, that accrue from working collectively in an office setting.

“We do not want anyone to miss out on the immense training, mentorship, and professional development benefits that come with being together in person,” she said. “And we know that we learn and grow from working together. This is especially true for our most junior attorneys and those who are new to the firm, who must not only develop substantive legal skills and expertise, but also thrive in a variety of professional situations that cannot be replicated in other settings.”

But Becker added that the flexibility to work remotely when necessary is crucial to fueling “full, well-rounded, happy lives.”

Gibson Dunn is allowing its attorneys to create their own schedules because management “implicitly trust[s] the judgment of our lawyers to do what’s best for their clients, their teams and their personal lives.” Perhaps other firms should adopt policies like this — it’ll make their attorneys feel a little more like autonomous adults instead of mere billing machines.

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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.

Gibson Dunn’s Flexible Work Policy Hands Autonomy to Attorneys [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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