Paul Weiss Extends Remote Work to Jan. 24 on Omicron Threat

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison has joined the growing list of Big Law firms pausing their return-to-office plans amid a surge in Covid-19 cases attributed to the omicron variant.

Employees can work remotely at least through Jan. 24, chairman Brad Karp said in a late Tuesday firm e-mail obtained by Bloomberg Law. “Our experts and most public health officials anticipate that infections from the omicron variant will continue to surge throughout the holidays and into January,” he said.

Paul, Weiss will require employees and visitors to have a booster vaccination when they are eligible, Karp said. The firm will offer boosters on-site through mid-January.

Several major law firms are rethinking office return plans as the new Covid-19 variant sweeps across the country. Omicron now accounts for 73% of all sequenced cases in the U.S., skyrocketing from 3% last week, according to federal estimates.

Cooley LLP and Mintz Levin on Dec. 20 said they would push back office return dates and allow lawyers and staff to continue working fully remote. Reed Smith, which had brought lawyers back into the office part-time, told lawyers in New York to work from home this week.

Paul Weiss, like many firms, had returned to hybrid office work starting in November, according to Bloomberg Law reporting.