Full Disclosure:​

When Law Firms Tie Performance Reviews To Office Attendance​

By Jaysen Sutton​

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Hi Reader 👋🏽,

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The Story

Addleshaw Goddard is tying performance reviews for partners to office attendance - according to The Lawyer.

When I was a trainee solicitor, working from home wasn’t a thing. You went in every day. On Fridays you dressed down and hoped to leave the office by 6pm.

This is one of the ways the pandemic changed the legal industry. Suddenly everyone had to work from home. I know many trainees who found this period really difficult because law firms hadn’t adapted to remote working. You were always on.

The legal world has since adapted. Law firms like TLT embed remote working into their pitch to junior talent. CMS lets you work from home 'half' the week. Sidley Austin and Clifford Chance allows you to work from home 50% over two weeks.

But, as more time has passed, law firms have revised their working from home policies. This is especially noticeable within US firms: Skadden, Vinson & Elkins, Ropes & Gray, Davis Polk and Weil requires its lawyers to be in four days a week.

The worry I hear from trainees is finding the balance: even if you're technically allowed to be at home, should you come into the office more often? Some law firms have heightened this pressure, like Slaughter and May and Clifford Chance, by tracking office attendance.

I'm curious to know: how important is WFH for you in your future employer?




Have any thoughts? I'd love to hear your perspective below!

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