Will more firms push to mandate additional in-office time following Latham’s recent announcement? Legal industry experts counter that most leaders have shifted their focus to improving firmwide performance for the time being.
In a recent article in The American Lawyer authored by Patrick Smith, Calibrate CEO Jennifer Johnson provides commentary on the current state of return-to-office policies amid a recent mandate from Latham & Watkins to move to a four-day in-office work week.
Last year, several firms made the decision to move to a four-day policy, however, legal industry observers have not yet since seen a recent push to mandate more in-office time. Latham’s recent decision has resparked the debate as to whether big firms should be enacting this policy.
As a whole, most firms have settled on their in-office policies following the pandemic, and have now turned their attention to improving firm performance and profitability.
As it relates to law firm business professionals, Johnson noted that in recent job searches, no client firms have indicated that they would be increasing office presence.
“Zero of our clients are asking people to come in more often,” she said in an interview. “Part of the intake process we use asks about this, and all of them are committed to maintaining their three days per week.”
Johnson added that going forward she expects unit leaders to have more autonomy, permitting them to decide who should be in office given that their teams are predominately facilitating the work.
“We are seeing that not all roles are created equally,” she said. “People will manage their teams according to their preference.”
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To learn more about how Calibrate can help your firm search for impactful business services professionals that will drive your firm’s vision forward and increase profitability, please reach out to Jennifer Johnson, CEO of Calibrate.
