That the pace of change is “accelerating” is surely an understatement. What seemed almost a near certainty a year ago — that law firms would fully and permanently embrace work-from-home — is experiencing a seeming reversal. While many firms have, in fact, embraced hybrid operations, the meaning of hybrid has evolved from “office optional,” to an average required 2 days a week, to now many firms coming out with four-day work week mandates — this time, with teeth.

Without the teeth, what most firms saw over the past 18 months was high rates of non-compliance with RTO policies. Forrest Solutions conducted a survey earlier this year, showing that while the majority of firms (93%) had RTO policies in place, 94% of attorneys were not complying with the policies. This meant, for firms with 2-3 required days in the office in their RTO policy, firms were, on average, experiencing 1-2 days of office time for their attorneys. Id.