Associates Feel Partners' Absence In Return To Office

By Xiumei Dong | 2025-04-23 15:33:46

While law firms continue to push return-to-office policies, recruiters say they have yet to see mass departures in response. The real friction point for associates, they noted, is with senior partners. Recruiters say younger lawyers are showing up and, in many cases, want more face time with mentors. The problem? Senior partners often aren't there.

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"I don't think that's for them being lazy. I don't think that's them being obstinate," said Michelle Fivel, co-founder of recruiting firm Hatch Henderson Fivel. "I think it's just that they're incredibly busy. They've got a lot of competing responsibilities for their clients, and training their associates and running their desks."

Fivel explained that while working from home has always been an option, the COVID-19 pandemic drove its adoption to new heights. Therefore, she noted, many partners often began working from home in the mornings, but once the workday starts, it becomes harder to shift gears and commute into the office, especially when they're already in a groove answering phone calls or drafting important work.

Still, their absence is felt. Without mentors in the office, associates can feel disconnected from firm culture, leading to frustration and, potentially, turnover, said Valerie Fontaine, a partner at the legal search firm SeltzerFontaine LLC.

"We have heard from associates who are actually looking for new opportunities because they feel like they're not getting the training that they want and need at their firms," Fontaine said. As things have returned to normal, she noted, associates realize they need more hands-on mentorship from partners.

Fontaine added that inflexible policies can be a turnoff, too, particularly at firms that have five-day office requirements. Most associates, she said, prefer a hybrid schedule with about three days in the office, as it offers a balance between in-person collaboration and remote work flexibility.

"Flexibility is key," Fontaine said, explaining that some candidates are now willing to move because firms that previously didn't require five days in the office are doing so now.

In general, most respondents to Law360 Pulse's recent survey — nearly two-thirds — expressed satisfaction with their firm's attendance policy. However, satisfaction was lowest among associates, with only 57% reporting contentment. In contrast, equity and nonequity partners fared better, with their satisfaction rate at 74% and 68%, respectively.

Similarly, while only 17% of respondents overall considered leaving their firm due to the policy, this concern was more pronounced among associates, with 28% contemplating a move.

In an open-ended response to our survey about firm attendance policies, one associate respondent noted they would consider leaving the firm if it required more than three days a week in the office, stating they would not work for a firm that mandates five days in-office.

"We all adjust as work demands (i.e., trials, closings etc.) occur. There are no advantages to being in the office more than 3 days during normal periods of work flow," the associate said. "Most partners are not in the office more than a few days, we lose productivity to commuting, and expenses for individuals and the firm are higher with more days in office."

Several respondents echoed concerns about the firm's attendance policy being stricter for associates than for partners, with some partners even disregarding the rules altogether.

"The pandemic showed everyone that law firms can be as or more profitable with a primarily remote workforce. Additionally, I regularly walk past offices of partners who haven't been in for more than a couple days in the past six months," said an of counsel at a BigLaw firm. "Enforcing attendance among junior attorneys when partners aren't even following the rules directly undermine any purported benefit and smacks of hypocrisy."

However, one nonequity partner at another BigLaw firm pointed out that their firm's three-day in-office requirement applies to all partners, but not to associates, who have no attendance obligation. As a result, the partner explained, while partners are expected to be in the office to mentor and collaborate with associates, they often find the associates are not there.

"It is burdensome on more junior partners, many of whom have young children and would benefit the most from more flexibility," the partner said. "Further, though compliance with the attendance policy is tracked through badge swipes and is factored into compensation decisions, absolutely no information is provided regarding the extent of the impact on compensation."

Still, Ru Bhatt, a partner with Major Lindsey & Africa's associate practice group, noted that even before the pandemic many partners with business development responsibilities have enjoyed flexibility around office attendance, traveling frequently for work and were not regularly in the office.

That flexibility comes at a cost. Bhatt acknowledged that associates are often the ones impacted by the lack of in-office mentorship, leading to training gaps that can hinder their development. Many associates, he said, are looking for firms where senior lawyers are more present and available to offer guidance.

At the same time, Bhatt pointed out, many senior associates are looking to leave firms with rigid in-office policies for ones offering greater flexibility, particularly those balancing growing family demands. For example, he noted that some associates prefer to work from home for a stretch to handle family responsibilities before easing back into full in-office days.

He said he thinks that is a factor associates are evaluating, in addition to other decisions the firm may make, to decide if their firms are the best fit for now and in the long term.

--Additional reporting by Rachel Reimer and Xavier Chauvris. Editing by Alex Hubbard and Nicole Bleier. Graphic by Jason Mallory.

Read the original article here.