Remote Rat Race: The Future of Remote Working at Law Firms​


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By Violet O’Gorman​


The Story

With the lifting of lockdown moving the UK steadily towards the summer months, many businesses are starting to consider the future of remote working. With leading companies such as Twitter, Google, and Ford promising greater flexibility post-pandemic with regard to home-working (BBC, Bloomberg), and a survey by the BBC indicating that “almost all of 50 of the UK’s biggest employers [say] they do not plan to bring staff back to the office full-time” (BBC), it seems that remote working is here to stay.

However, companies need to think very carefully in the coming months about the transition to returning to the office. As the pandemic was unprecedented, there is “no basis for comparison” (Irish Times) for how to coordinate a recovery, and firms will have to manage not only the physical logistics of returning staff to the office, but also the “mental health pressures of returning” (Irish Times) for some workers. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development “the resilience of all employees has been seriously challenged by the pandemic”, meaning “employers need to step up with supports for those experiencing reintegration difficulties” (Irish Times).

Impact on Businesses and Law Firms

In some ways, the legal industry is very suited to a virtual setting, as it is more discrete. Despite risks such as cyber security mounting, many clients appreciate the privacy of entering virtual meetings, which are more private than they would be in person, meaning “sensitive transactions are now easier to keep confidential” (Law.com).

Some lawyers working at law firms have also reported particular career advantages to home working. For example, Law.com reported that associates have benefitted from the virtual setting, as it provides greater “visibility in the firm and access to clients who otherwise may have only dealt with partners” (Law.com). This, alongside other factors such as reduced cost for commutes, has prompted a trend in the legal profession towards demand for home-working – with some lawyers leaving firms for others which can guarantee a remote office for the future.

Some law firms are taking advantage of this appetite for home-working, and recruiting “highly successful” (Law.com) lawyers into new positions with the draw of a guaranteed remote position. However, it remains to be seen whether this will be an industry-wide trend, as there are certain sectors of law that are not suited to remote working forever.