Biglaw

Top 20 Biglaw Firm To Launch Partial Reopening In November, Full Reopening In January 2022

Attorneys will be able to work remotely two days each week, starting in 2022.

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WEIL GOTSHAL — MEMO — RETURN TO OFFICE

As we indicated in our prior communications, The Office Reopening Task Force has continued to monitor the state of the pandemic across all our jurisdictions and is writing today with regard to the reopening plan for our Weil offices in the United States. As everyone has likely followed in the news, we have seen, in recent weeks, the stabilization of case counts following the surge of the Delta variant that had occurred this summer. This development, coupled with the Firm’s vaccination requirement for all Weil employees, gives us optimism in moving forward with the next phase of our plan to return to the office in the US.

Accordingly, we are planning to transition to a partial return to the office on Monday, November 1st. As of that time, all members of the Weil family will be expected to work in the office for a minimum of two days each week. We would expect everyone to coordinate with their teams, as appropriate, on this front – with practice group leaders, for lawyers, and with managers/supervisors, for administrative staff. This phase has been underway in London since last month and is working quite successfully. We are giving people a full month to prepare and to allow for any personal planning necessary to be best situated for this next stage of reopening.

Given this reopening of our offices in the US, all Weil employees are expected to be fully vaccinated by November 1st, barring any approved medical or religious exemption. If you have submitted a medical or religious exemption, you will be notified as to the status of your request in advance of November 1st. If you have not yet become fully vaccinated, please do so before this date.

It is our expectation that we will move to the full reopening for all our US offices – as previously described and subject to the Firm’s updated Work From Home pilot policy announced earlier this year – on Monday, January 10th. As a reminder, that policy permits all members of the Weil family to work remotely on Fridays and gives all lawyers the ability to take one additional day remotely each week. We will be piloting that program for 12 months starting in January 2022.

We will continue to monitor the state of the pandemic and all public health and safety guidelines in all jurisdictions where we have offices and will adjust these plans as necessary – including reverting back to a fully voluntary in-person period if need be. As has been the case since the beginning of the pandemic, the Firm will continue to put the health and wellbeing of the members of the Weil family as its most important priority. The Office Reopening Task Force continues to monitor all CDC and local guidelines with respect to public health and safety protocols, as well as to confer and coordinate with Dr. Sal and our leadership across all offices.

We understand that people will have questions surrounding the policies and protocols that will be followed in our offices once we are in this new phase of reopening. Please rest assured that the Office Reopening Task Force will be sending out a separate communication in advance of November 1stoutlining any in-office masking requirements, as well as all other necessary health and safety policies and protocols. We have learned a lot during the pandemic about measures to protect and inform our overall health and wellbeing. With that in mind, and as Barry prompted in his email earlier this week, please everyone get your flu shot as soon as possible, as that will help to protect your own health and wellbeing, as well as all that of all other members of the Weil family.

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For any special circumstances regarding the return to office policy outlined above or any questions that need to be addressed at this time, please [redacted].

Please continue to stay safe and healthy

Thank you.

Mindy J. Spector
Partner – General Counsel

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

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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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