Working from a partner’s office is hardly something most younger lawyers would dare attempt, but it is part of the new, COVID norm apparently.
Increasingly there has been debate about just how sacrosanct the partner’s office should be.
As Law.com reported, a law firm partner’s identity and bravado can be shaped by many things, including a hefty pay packet and legal directory rankings. But a specific source of pride has always been the partner’s office.
As law firms realize they do not need their current real estate overheads and ‘footprint’ they are doing so with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London moving to offices that are reportedly about 20 per cent smaller than their previous office space.
Freshfields’ lawyers move into their new offices at 100 Bishopsgate office later this year when the firm is planning to operate an ‘office release system’ which means someone else can use your office if you are working remotely.
“If you’re not there, you give your office up”, London managing partner Claire Wills told the website Legal Week while another partner, who isn’t named, said lockdown had shown that “people do not need rooms full of paper and offices in the traditional sense.”
“I used to think I could not work without precedents around me but it’s more a comfort blanket. We’ve been at home without any of this stuff and most people are busy.”
Legal Week
Just how the practice works when the new offices come on stream is another question, but it is something that will take more than just a change in mindset over ‘real estate footprint’ and have perhaps more to do with partner ego and prestige. Therein lies a major obstacle.
Your Views on the Partner Office?
- Jude Law, Aaron Judge, and the Legal AI Arms Race: Why Legora Is Betting Big on Star Power
- The “Law Firm in a Box” Just Got a Brain Graft
- Paul Weiss Sheds Litigation Associates Citing Performance Reviews as Firm Navigates Litigation Slowdown
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison has parted ways with several litigation associates following its annual performance review cycle, possibly marking a structural change from the relatively recently annointed firm chair Scott Barshay (pictured). According to reporting by The American Lawyer, the New York-based firm, which has long prided itself on avoiding public layoffs, including during the 2008 financial crisis and the 2022 financial correction . . Log in to read more . . . - Class of 2025 Law Grads Hit 87.7% Employment in Top-Tier Jobs But the Details Are More Mixed
Smaller class, sustained demand, and a notable dip in BigLaw and government hiring: what the latest ABA numbers actually mean for law firm recruiting and your next career move. The legal job market held firm for the Class of 2025, but the full picture is more nuanced than the headline rate suggests. According to employment data released April 22, 2026 by the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, 87.7% of 2025 graduates from Council-accredited law schools were employed in full-time, long-term Bar Admission Required/Anticipated or J.D. Advantage positions as of March 16, 2026 — roughly ten months after graduation. Log in to read more . . - Doing the Mahi on Maiki: How TVNZ Tried to Bury Its Own Scandal
