Many Midsize Firms Shy Away From Mandating Office Attendance. Others View It as a Recruiting Filter.

By: Justin Henry

Cohen Seglias managing partner Steve Williams discussed the firm’s work-from-home policy in AmLaw’s Mid-Market. Our firm’s emphasis on in-person collaboration as a distinguishing feature in an era of hybrid work requires associates to be in the office three days per week. Originally, four days a week in 2021, Steve said, “We knew we would become more flexible…We need to attract good candidates too and that is part of our analysis.” Chief operating officer Kathleen Garrity added, “We’re always evaluating,” and “We’re curious to see what the industry does.”

Office attendance policies at law firms today lie on a spectrum.

At one end are firms like Sterlington and FisherBroyles, which were conceived as 100% remote, overhead-free partnerships before the pandemic brought remote work into vogue. In the middle sit the majority of law firms interviewed by Law.com, which encourage lawyers to split their time between the home and the office without implementing any formal mandates. And on the other end are firms with a requirement for lawyers to come in a set number of days per week, give or take reasonable accommodations.

But one thing that unites firms is that the return to the office remains an ongoing experiment, influenced by competition for recruiting and retaining lawyers.