Biglaw

The Office Strikes Back: More Top Law Firms Embrace A Four-Day Attendance Mandate

Law firms across the country are tightening attendance rules, pushing lawyers back to their desks.

Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.

The pendulum is absolutely swinging back toward the majority of partners’ and associates’ time being in person, in the office.

Rachel Nonaka, a Washington, D.C.-based recruiter at Macrae, in comments given to Reuters, concerning the number of law firms that are boosting their in-office attendance policies for 2026, with four-day attendance requirements spreading across the Am Law 50. The following firms now require attorneys to work from the office four days each week: A&O ShearmanCooleyCovingtonDavis Polk; Dechert (junior associates); DLA Piper (corporate associates); GoodwinHogan LovellsLathamPaul WeissRopes & GraySidleySimpson ThacherSkaddenVinson & ElkinsWeil GotshalWilmerHale; and White & Case


Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of 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 BlueskyX/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.