Biglaw

More Biglaw Firms Delay Openings, Lay Down Strong Vaccination Policies

Paul Weiss, Simpson, and Winston release new statements.

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As the country experiences an upswing in infections driven almost exclusively by the unvaccinated, law firms are taking a harder and harder line against vaccine holdouts.

Early in the process of office reopenings, firms were “encouraging” attorneys and staff to get the vaccine. At the time, firms relied upon the inherent professionalism of employees to do the right thing without wrapping the firm up in needless mandates. And this probably got the workforce almost all the way there!

But if we’ve learned two things over the last 18 months or so it’s that (1) “almost all the way” isn’t really how vaccines work best and (2) there are dolts in literally all educational strata who will screw up an invitation to do the right thing.

So we’ve entered the era of mandated vaccination to return to work, up to and including policies that shut off identity card access to the buildings until workers can prove they’ve taken the absolutely bare minimum steps to protect their co-workers and their families.

And, of course, we’re seeing planned reopenings delayed. We have three new announcements along these lines today.

Paul Weiss informed the firm’s workforce via email today that due to the Delta variant, it will indefinitely postpone the planned “phase 2” office reopening from September 13. A new date will be announced roughly 30 days ahead of the ultimate reopening.

In the meantime, “all Paul, Weiss personnel and visitors will be required to be fully vaccinated to enter our U.S. offices” as of August 9 and anyone who has failed to provide proof of vaccination by that date will have card keys deactivated. Masks and distancing will remain in effect in all office common areas for the time being.

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Simpson Thacher basically laid out the whole above history of firm responses to the vaccine in one paragraph:

In prior updates, we strongly encouraged everyone to receive a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible for their own safety and that of their colleagues and loved ones. Given the emergence of the more contagious
Delta variant and the resultant increase in COVID-19 cases across the country, we believe vaccination is an essential component of our efforts to create a safe working environment for all our employees. We understand that a high percentage of our attorneys and professional staff have already been fully vaccinated.

TL;DR We relied on people to get vaccines, most of you did, some of you didn’t, and this is why we can’t have nice things.

Starting Monday, everyone is required to be vaccinated to go back to the Simpson offices.

Over at Winston & Strawn, the firm announced that beginning today, it is “requiring all attorneys and staff to be fully vaccinated before coming into our offices, with the expectation that all individuals will be fully vaccinated no later than the end of September.” The firm is also offering up to 4 hours of paid time off to get the vaccine with additional time available in the event of adverse reactions.

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For those with legitimate reasons that they cannot get the vaccine, the firm urges them to speak with HR about a medical or religious accommodation. “Please note that you will be asked to engage in the interactive process to determine if a reasonable accommodation is required and will be asked for support for your request.” This of course can double as a quality control measure as anyone who cites “HIPPA” has no place working in a firm that deals with actual laws in the real world.

HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

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