// We’re about a month into the second quarter of the year, the COVID-19 public health emergency has officially ended, and Biglaw firms would really, really like it if their associates would return to the office.

We’ve recently learned that another elite Biglaw firm, Morgan Lewis — a firm that brought in $2,745,251,000 gross revenue in 2022, putting it in 8th place in the most recent Am Law 100 — has decided to require its attorneys to physically attend the office on three set office days each week, after initially requiring only one or two office days per week.

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Way back in 2017, the firm launched an “innovative” program that would allow associates to work one or two days remotely each week, so the firm was prepared for the pandemic before it even started. Now, in the wake of COVID-19, it’s being mandated that associates return to the office. This process started about a year ago. For example, sources tell us that in November 2022, the firm announced that it would require attorneys in certain practice groups (at least in New York) to come to the office every Tuesday and Wednesday on a mandatory basis.

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J. Gordon Cooney Jr., leader of the firm’s litigation practice group, sent out a memo to all U.S. litigation attorneys (available on the next page) setting out the new marching orders, noting that other practice groups and offices have already announced similar scheduling changes:

[S]tarting June 1, the LPG will be shifting to having the expectation that all of our attorneys (including partners) will be in the office every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. … You should keep the colleagues with whom you were working informed of your schedule. We believe that this new schedule will not only provide our summer associates with a more meaningful summer experience, but will also provide all of us with further opportunities to create the connections and build the relationships that are key to long-term success in the law.

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A source says that the firm originally “promised flexibility,” and seems upset that Morgan Lewis is now requiring that attorneys “adjust their schedules” to meet the demands of working from the office.

Now that this trend has taken off, will other Biglaw firms follow? If your firm is requiring you to come into the office three (or more) days each week, please let us know. You can email us or text us (646-820-8477).

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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Biglaw, Law Firm Reopenings, Morgan Lewis, Morgan Lewis & Bockius