The Current Status and Future of the Law Firm Workplace
Most industries are navigating the effects of rapid forced changes caused by the pandemic. What sets the legal sector apart is that the pandemic served as a catalyst to accelerate trends ahead at lightning speed which have been predicted for over a decade.
July 12, 2021 at 11:06 AM
6 minute read
COVID-19
It's no surprise the legal sector has entered unprecedented times. Most industries are navigating the effects of rapid forced changes caused by the pandemic. What sets the legal sector apart is the major shifts law firms have experienced over the last 12 months which have been predicted by experts for over a decade. The pandemic served as a catalyst to accelerate those trends ahead at lightning speed.
Cushman & Wakefield's Legal Sector practice focuses specifically on analyzing legal sector data and translating it into actionable intelligence and insights law firms can utilize to implement in their workplace and real estate strategy. Below is a summary overview of our findings related to the following themes found in our 2021 Legal Sector Bright Insights report:
|- Where Is The Legal Sector Today
- Where Are Law Firms Headed
- What Does The Future Law Firm Workplace Look Like
Where Is the Legal Sector Today?
The law firm world today remains largely in a state of remote working. Nationally the legal sector has a current office return rate of under 10%. There is still uncertainly in the future of the law firm workplace and business pressures that existed pre-pandemic have only exponentially increased. For example, recruitment and retention remains one of the top major concerns of law firms and an increasing challenge as previous strategies have become relatively obsolete.
In our global surveying of attorneys over the last 12 months and subsequent analysis, we discovered that any aspect of law firm business that is primarily transactional, process-oriented or linear was efficiently and effectively accomplished in the remote working environment. However, critical functions of a law firm's culture have suffered greatly, such as business development, mentorship, cross-selling and creativity.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Forward-Looking Statements Don't Support Securities Case Against Peloton Following Pandemic Spike
2 minute read
Federal Lawsuit Seeks $400M In COVID-19 PPE Commission Revenues to Be Handed Over
Judge: 'Perfect Adherence' to Religious Beliefs Not Necessary to Clear Discrimination Suit Against Former Employer
5 minute read
Ex-Nurse's 'Individualized, Idiosyncratic Religion' Claims Against COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate Allowed to Proceed, Judge Rules
4 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Gibson Dunn Sued By Crypto Client After Lateral Hire Causes Conflict of Interest
- 2Trump's Solicitor General Expected to 'Flip' Prelogar's Positions at Supreme Court
- 3Pharmacy Lawyers See Promise in NY Regulator's Curbs on PBM Industry
- 4Outgoing USPTO Director Kathi Vidal: ‘We All Want the Country to Be in a Better Place’
- 5Supreme Court Will Review Constitutionality Of FCC's Universal Service Fund
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
