Ropes & Gray Latest Firm to Move to Four Days a Week In-Office

Ropes & Gray is asking its lawyers to come in four days a week this fall, making it the latest Big Law firm to mandate more in-office time for its attorneys post-pandemic.

The Boston-founded firm will require all of its attorneys to come into the office Monday through Thursday starting Nov. 6, according to a memo sent by firm chair Julie Jones viewed by Bloomberg Law.

“We are making this change because success in this highly competitive marketplace requires us to invest in what makes Ropes & Gray extraordinary—our culture, teamwork in furtherance of excellence for clients and our steadfast commitment to developing the best lawyers in the world,” she said.

“These strengths, which define and differentiate us, can only be realized to their fullest extent through in-person collaboration, learning and mentoring. Simply put, we need more people together, more often, more consistently,” Jones said.

After embracing remote work during the coronavirus pandemic, law firms have moved towards requiring in-office attendance for attorneys, citing concerns over training and mentorship opportunities that aren’t easily replicated in the remote setting. Most have landed on three days a week, but the decision by Ropes and a few of its peers to move to four days a week signals more in-office requirements ahead.

Weil Gotshal & Manges announced earlier this month that it would require its lawyers to be in the office Monday through Thursday starting Sept. 5. Davis Polk & Wardwell announced in early June that it would require the same following Labor Day. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom announced in late May that it was requiring its lawyers to show up in the office four days per week.

Beyond mandating in-office attendance, other law firms like Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Sidley Austin have threatened to withhold associate bonus money from those who do not show up to the office three days a week.