Certainly, managing partners and firm leaders are pretty anxious to get back. That’s not true up and down the line, but there is a desire to get on with it and establish what the new norms are going to be. There are different expectations across firms, but I’m guessing the Kirkland model, with some variation, will become the norm.
— Lisa Smith, a law firm consultant with Fairfax Associates, commenting on law firm return-to-office plans in an interview with Reuters. Under the “Kirkland model,” which the firm announced earlier this week, associates are expected to work from the office three days each week.
AI Is Reshaping Legal Practice—But Tools Aren’t The Real Differentiator.
Explore the mindset, cultural shifts, and training strategies that define the AI‑savvy lawyer, revealing why human judgment, standardized competence, and integrated learning—not technology alone—will shape the future of the profession.
Staci 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.