Is Hoteling a Sign That Law Firms Are 'Giving Up' on RTO?: The Morning Minute
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September 07, 2023 at 06:00 AM
4 minute read
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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
HEARTBREAK HOTELING - Sure, office-sharing may seem like an apt way for law firms to get the most out of their square footage while accommodating new workplace habits. But, to some firm leaders, the adoption of "hoteling" equals a concession that the dream of getting everyone back to the office and partying like it's 2019 is officially dead—and that's a tough pill to swallow. "It's a big cultural shift," Tom Fulcher, vice chair, head of legal tenant practice group at property agent Savills told Law.com's Justin Henry. "One attorney said, 'It's like you gave up.' After all efforts to bring people back into the office, you can hotel. Yes, it saves your money, but what is the effect on the firm long term?"
CAN'T HARDLY WAIT - In the legal industry, perhaps the only word with a looser definition than "flexibility" is "emergency." Asked what about their workplaces negatively affected their mental health, half the attorneys who responded to the American Lawyer's 2023 Mental Health Survey said client demands. In individual responses, Big Law attorneys at all levels made a distinction between legitimate emergencies and clients' technology-enabled propensity to expect instant responses to mundane questions at all hours of the day, night or weekend. But, as Law.com's Dan Roe and Trudy Knockless report, both clients and law firm leadership can play a role in eliminating artificial emergencies. In-house counsel say communication and mutual respect can help prevent frequent fire drills, while law firm attorneys say relationship partners should push back on unreasonable requests.
ON THE RADAR - UPS was hit with a personal injury lawsuit Sept. 6 in Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Bucks County. The lawsuit, for claims centered on a motor vehicle collision, was brought by Weltman Weinberg & Reis on behalf of Allstate. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 2023-05352, Allstate Insurance Company v. United Parcel Service. Stay up on the latest state and federal litigation, as well as the latest corporate deals, with Law.com Radar.
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