Oliver Glynn-Jones, Goodwin

Oliver Glynn-Jones is the new U.K. litigation head of Goodwin Procter. He joined the firm in May as the firm's first litigation partner in London and is set to kickstart the U.S. firm's disputes presence in the market. Prior to joining Goodwin, he had been global head of commercial dispute resolution at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. Here, he speaks about the challenges of integrating into a new firm during a pandemic, having a "Zoom wardrobe", and being interrupted by sheep while working from home.

Describe your home workspace in three words.

Temporary spare bedroom. Those three words need context — we have spent lockdown in a rental property having moved out of our house because of building work on the Thursday before lockdown began. Exquisite timing.

What's the best part of working from home?

I imagine a lot of people will say the lack of commute, but while it's great not to have to sit on a packed commuter train twice a day, I actually miss the thinking and reading time that was automatically carved out for me. The best part now is that I get more time with my family than I would ever have had before. Whether they say the same is up for debate.

What time do you tend to start your day, take lunch and finish up?

I've always been an early riser and I've continued that, replacing the commute with an early morning walk with my wife that sees me start at my desk at, or just after, 8am. Lunch is flexible with work demands, but if I can it's great to coincide with my two older daughters at around 1pm. Finishing up is again dependent on work. As it was before COVID though, there is no defined finish time in this job — there are always issues that need to be dealt with and I've learnt to be flexible over the years.

Do you prefer phone calls or video calls?

Neither — I'd much rather meet face to face, especially having joined Goodwin during this pandemic. It has reinforced my view of the importance of face to face interaction when establishing and developing relationships. That said, my new colleagues have been immense in helping me to integrate and we've done that through countless video calls. So it would be video over phone for me.

Do you get dressed properly every day?

Many people would question whether I did that pre-COVID. Now I have a "Zoom wardrobe" in my office. Normally I'm in a t-shirt, but I've done everything from zoom hearings, to client meetings and meeting new colleagues so I have a smart shirt that I can reach for when the need arises.

What's the first thing you'll do when the lockdown is lifted?

Lord Sumption did a fantastic interview with Nick Robinson on Radio 4 a few weeks ago in which he said the first thing he's going to do is visit a pub and have a pint. I see no reason to argue with that.

What's the biggest challenge about working from home?

I joined Goodwin at the start of May, becoming the firm's first litigator in London, with a brief to build a litigation practice. Building a practice requires establishing relationships – with clients, with new colleagues and with new people you want to hire into the team. Doing that without the ability to meet in person is a challenge I never thought I'd encounter when I decided to make the move. It's been fun trying to find imaginative new ways to do it and I must thank Sam Lake Coghlan, our co-chair in London, for introducing me to the idea of the dog walk meeting.

How many times a day are you interrupted by pets/ spouses/ children?

Whilst writing the answers to this piece alone I have been interrupted countless times, including by my youngest daughter dressed as a sheep for an online school play. The dog tends to try and join me for some sanity amongst the chaos.

What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you on a video call?

Nothing too bad at the moment. My first online hearing of the pandemic saw the judge in charge of the Pre Trial Review join us from her kitchen. No-one was expecting her window cleaners to turn up half way through and start cleaning the windows behind her. We hadn't realised that they were designated as key workers.

What do you miss most about the office?

I don't know, I haven't had the chance to work in our offices yet! Generally though, the small human interactions that take place on a daily basis which we all took for granted, but which now I can see were so very important.

How are you spending your weekends? Is there a Netflix recommendation you'd share?

We are having to work hard to try and avoid the weekends just feeling like an extension of lockdown week. Lots of long walks have been great. On Netflix we're currently watching Ozark —like Breaking Bad all over again.

How productive are you working from home compared with being in the office?

I have always been a big proponent of flexibility in how people work, giving teams I have led the ability to do the work in the way they want, as long as we are always exceeding what clients expect and demand. If you treat people in this way I think they respond positively and will maximise their productivity because they are able to control their life. I've tended to find that my productivity has not really fluctuated between home and office over the years.

Background music or silence?

Silence pretty much as I'm always on and off calls.

What are the best and worst remote working experiences you have had?

I had some teething problems with new kit when I first joined Goodwin and my home WiFi kept crashing, leading my kids to scream downstairs about the lack of internet when they are mid-live school lesson.

The best experience has been the way in which Goodwin has made it possible for me to join and integrate into the firm in the midst of a global pandemic. From the IT support (initial teething problem aside) to the way in which partners have reached out to me from around the world has been amazing. On day one at the firm, I switched on my computer to find an email from one of my new partners, Alexis Coll-Very in Silicon Valley. She had joined the firm in November and reached out to me to welcome me and offer a Zoom call to give the perspective of a lateral that had recently joined. That meant a lot.

How do you think your clients feel about you advising them remotely?

As long as the advice they get adds value, is delivered seamlessly and on time, I suspect they are not fussed.

How do you like to stay in touch with your colleagues?

Any way possible really. I saw early on though that while keeping in touch and collaborating was important, it is possible to go over the top and do too much. The quality of the interaction is more important than the quantity. The dog walk meeting is the most fun.

What would be your three top tips for others working from home?

Discipline, discipline and discipline. Discipline in defining your working day and seeking to establish barriers between your working life and home life.  Discipline in ensuring that you are organising your day so that you meet client needs and maximise productivity and discipline in carving out time to speak with clients and team members.

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