The issue: how firms can deliver the same depth of experience and supervision over a fibre optic cable, as they can in the flesh
BY:
Alexis de Hahn
Avocat Reporteur
PROJECT COUNSEL MEDIA
26 August 2020 (Chania, Greece) – Now that firms have mastered the intricacies of managing a remote workforce, the next challenge is how to manage a hybrid workforce – and how to use that model to attract and retain talent.
As reported in The Lawyer, FT Legal Innovation, and LegalWeek, in the recent months there have been three firms (BLM, Dentons and Slater & Gordon) that have closed UK bases in favor of remote working. BLM and Dentons claim it is a logical step in the digital transition journey which has been propelled by the pandemic. Slater & Gordon, meanwhile, expects remote working could become the norm for its 2,000-strong staff base following the move by its London office in May. As noted in a long profile in The Lawyer last week, others are likely to follow suit. As LegalWeek noted:
The closure of Dentons’ Watford and Aberdeen bases last month affects 66 employees, including six partners, while BLM’s plans to shut down bases in Bristol and Leeds impacts 33 positions, including seven partners. These people will never resume traditional office life with their respective firms – something many would not have envisaged back in January. Which firm is next?
Among these numbers are trainees and young lawyers that have scarcely had the chance to root themselves into the profession, let alone benefit from in-person mentoring or wisps of wisdom passed on by seniors. As more firms adopt digital models, they must also establish how to deliver the same depth of experience and supervision over a fibre optic cable, as they can in the flesh.
Yes, in both the U.S. and the UK, we have been pummelled with stories of “virtual” firms aplenty that use their agile working propositions to attract talent, keeping just a small office base for admin staff. For some firms looking to cut costs further, the switch to remote working offers an instant saving.
Compare agile firm gunnercooke with Howard Kennedy, for instance. Both firms are of a similar size, with gunnercooke’s 363-strong workforce occupying just 5,050 sq ft in total across its three main offices in London, Manchester and Leeds at a cost of £579,796. That compares with rental costs of £4.8m for Howard Kennedy, which has 349 people spread across 54,552 sq ft. A chart from The Lawyer:
Howard Kennedy spends almost 10 times more per employee on office space
The accompanying article notes:
While its three main offices provide the central infrastructure, gunnercooke operates a local hub model where lawyers who live near to each other can meet up, sometimes sharing a secretary or paralegal. This provides social opportunities, when a shared lunch break or after work drinks isn’t possible. Of course, Dentons and BLM employees could work flexibly from the firms’ remaining UK bases, but that could mean a three-hour commute if you’re in Dentons’ Aberdeen office and need to get to Edinburgh. It’s a shorter schlep for BLM’s Bristol employees who can pop over the Severn Bridge to Cardiff.
This is the first generation to miss out on working directly with their peers and absorbing everything that comes with it. A remote induction can’t replicate the real thing. Last year, The Atlantic had a long article on how law firms had begun to get into the trend of working remotely and that the office-less office would become part of law firm culture. There were a string of “positives” such as saving time in commuting, a feeling that leads to higher productivity, and home is less stressful than work. Plus the fact that attorneys who work remotely can save an exorbitant amount of money for a law firm simply from the fact that fewer attorneys requiring office space translates into fewer offices that need to be leased.
There were negatives, too. One of the biggest: little to no contact with other attorneys. Attorneys interviewed said they felt isolated, left behind or simply left in the dark. Lawyers need contact too, especially when they’re working on a case and need advice or support. One partner noted it will require a senior lawyer in some legal cases to “hold the hand” of telecommuting attorneys as they learn the ropes.
Mapping out how to marry the benefits of the traditional and virtual model means paying even closer attention to fledgling careers. And for many firms remote work has been a sudden transition so these firms are dealing with new management and supervision procedures and even mental health challenges. Perhaps firms should reduce its focus on the latest whizz bang remote technology out there and focus more attention on the long-term effects on its “human tech”.
