I have written about the advent of hybrid work in law offices in the past, but there are new developments on the subject. It turns out that law firms have had to rethink more than just how much a lawyer needs to be at the brick and mortar office.
As you may recall, during the Pandemic, most Americans were working from home in one way or another. And lawyers at law firms were no exception. It was rare for lawyers to go to the brick and mortar offices during those years, and lawyers got used to working from home and the benefits to their quality of life. No commuting, no need for expensive clothes to wear to the office, no need for childcare (even if those caretakers could be found), and the list of perceived benefits from working from home goes on and on.
Most lawyers loved working from home at least part of the time, and law firms reported record profits during the COVID 19 years. In spite of that high profitability, once the masks came off and COVID 19 seemed to be wafting away with the wind, law firm managers called employees and workers back to the office. And those “call backs” took a variety of forms, some more thoughtful than others. Those that required full-time return to the office quickly found that it was highly unpopular and could not be easily enforced. Those firms eventually settled on a combination of “at home” and “in the office.” Other firms started by requiring a combination of working venues, which was much better received. In the end it all became known as “hybrid,” and it has lasted because it offers the benefits of in-person lawyering with the technology that allows for in-home lawyering.
But, you ask, what about all that office space that is not being utilized when lawyers work from home? That is a good question, and I asked it early. I also offered a prediction, and it has come to pass. I LOVE it when that happens!
As reported by Above the Law recently, the unused office space is going on the block. Even the most prestigious Biglaw firms are not renewing leases but, instead, are looking for smaller spaces and creating new interesting “best-in-class” venues. That was a sure bet for me several years ago based on a familiarity with what Millennial and Gen Z lawyers want (I wrote a book on the subject during the Pandemic) and the extremely high cost of real estate to support under utilized old office models.
Here’s the Above the Law article if you need more specifics to help convince your law firm to go big on hybrid and go small on bricks and mortar. It is the new wave, and it makes sense.
