According to a recent article by Gregg Wirth in Thompson Reuters Legal Executive Institute, the notion of the fancy traditional downtown office of law firms is fundamentally changing. And with it ultimately, in my view, the nature of the profession. Three immediate factors are driving this change: partners are embracing remote work, the trickle-down effect on the use of technology, and a new emphasis on cutting costs. All three of these factors will change how lawyers view tech and working from a central.
First, some facts. Wirth cites research by Sherry Cushman of the real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield that shows the legal sector will be downsizing its real estate needs on average 10% to 30%. And in some cases, up to 40% to 50%. That’s a pretty significant decrease. These statistics are consistent with a poll by Cushman of some 700 law firms in October 2020, which revealed 93% of responding firms were going to make changes in their workplace, with 24% describing those changes as “drastic.”
And it goes without saying that many law firm staff members want to continue remote working: Cushman estimates that some 70 to 80% of the staff like working from home. It saves them money and commute time. But more surprisingly and importantly, Cushman thinks partners want to continue to work more remotely as well, even more than associates. This desire has important implications since firm partners dictate firm policy concerning remote working and law firm real estate. If partners want remote work and less office space, it will happen. Allen & Overy’s recent announcement that expects 40% of its workforce will work remotely is evidence of this very fact.
And if partners are working remotely, then the staff that supports them will not necessarily need to be
