As one of the LawFuel prestige law firm members, Freshfields is another employer changing the hybrid law firm work requiring its partners, associates and others to work from the office for four days a week, according to a report from the American Lawyer.
The firm has moved into new space at 3 World Trade Center and with the change to its hybrid work policy announced to the fee earning staff.
The change to the hybrid model follows other big law firms like Ropes & Gray, Weil Gotshal, Vinson & Elkins, Slaughter & May, Simpson Tacher and Skadden Arps among others in the small- and medium-sized categories.
Freshfields lists at no 17 on the 2023 Global 100 and the London-based law firm also has the highest-paying law firm ranking among its “magic circle” counterparts, with full equity partners earning an average of £2.09 million last year, as Lawfuel reported.
Hybrid work at the law firms accelerated with the Covid pandemic but there is now a pronounced trend towards many employers, including law firms, to require more in-office attendance, notwithstanding a significant component of at-home work.
Although hybrid working conditions among lawyers remains highly popular and will doubtless continue into the future, the balance between office and remote working is one that still requires some degree of calibration, as law firms work out what works best for them in terms of productivity, team-building and yet also retaining work-life balance and other requirements from professionals.
