Sullivan & Cromwell Signals 5-Day RTO Expectation as Law Firms Remain Split on Optimal Attendance
Lawyers are expected to come to the office during normal business hours barring "extraordinary" circumstances, according to a recent update to the firm's office manual.
January 09, 2025 at 04:35 PM
6 minute read
What You Need to Know
- Sullivan & Cromwell updated its office manual with language indicating an expectation of five days of weekly office attendance.
- An associate said the firm began pushing for full attendance last fall.
- Leaders of other Big Law firms indicated they wouldn't move toward a five-day attendance requirement.
Without explicitly mandating five days of office attendance per week, Sullivan & Cromwell signaled a desire for attorneys to come in Monday through Friday in a recent update to the law firm’s office manual.
The updated language on office attendance—first circulated on Reddit and subsequently provided to the American Lawyer by a source at Sullivan & Cromwell—states that although the firm operates on a principle of not prescribing fixed office hours for attorneys, “the general understanding is that the Firm as a whole operates most efficiently when lawyers are present in the office during normal business hours (9:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.).”
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