Latham & Watkins is requiring its New York City lawyers to be in the office four days a week next year.
Starting January 1, 2025, the firm will expect all of its lawyers in the Big Apple to work in the office at least four days a week, according to an email from Marc Jaffe, managing partner of Latham’s New York office, seen by Bloomberg Law on Tuesday.
“Our continued success is based in large part on training, development, collaboration and mutual contact,” he said in his email. “We believe that in-person collaboration and face-to-face interaction are essential,” Jaffe said.
The firm will not impose mandatory attendance days but will leave it up to its lawyers to decide what is best, he said.
“This internal office standard is consistent with our vision of how we can and should work together to serve our clients. It was developed in consultation with various internal stakeholders, including department and practice leadership and firm committees, and is similar to the policies of many of our clients and colleagues,” said Jaffe.
With its decision, Latham joins firms such as Skadden Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Ropes & Gray and Vinson & Elkins, all of which have adopted a four-day office week policy.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced offices around the world to close, law firms, like other businesses, implemented flexible work-from-home policies. In the years that followed, they slowly returned to the office, with most law firms requiring their lawyers to work in the office at least three days a week.
However, many of her clients have already returned to the office full-time.
