As the U.S. deals with yet another wave of COVID infections thanks to the omicron variant, Biglaw firms are trying to figure out what their “new normal” will look like. For some firms, it involves permanent work-from-home flexibility, and for others, it involves a hybrid theory of office work mixed with working from home. For other firms still, the “new normal” involves opening offices in the ‘burbs so that associates and partners alike need not worry about whether the commute is worth it — after all, they’ll be working near home.
This is the plan that Greenberg Traurig — ranked at No. 16 in the most recent Am Law 100, with $1,730,230,000 gross revenue in 2020 — currently has in the works. The elite firm will soon be opening two office locations in Long Island. According to the firm’s press release, its expansion will make it the first global firm to establish a substantial presence there. Greenberg Traurig’s new offices will be in Bridgehampton and Garden City, and each will be home to about 20 lawyers with strong ties to the area.
Richard A. Rosenbaum, the firm’s executive chairman, has said that in 2021, Greenberg Traurig had its “most successful year in … history by every measure,” with revenue topping $2 billion for the first time ever. The firm is celebrating with the introduction of its new “work-near-home” policy. As Rosenbaum explains in the firm’s press release:
“With the current expansion to Long Island, our five locations across the New York metropolitan area will now deliver a new kind of ‘hybrid’ model that will permit a better work-life experience for our attorneys and staff and greater convenience and value for our clients for the long term. We combine the benefits intrinsic to in-office work, such as camaraderie, collaboration, culture, innovation, and apprenticeship, with the flexibility and convenience to work-near-home. Additionally, our market professionals will have ready access to our state-of-the-art Manhattan office and its thoughtfully designed conference facility and visitors’ workspaces.”
If you’re considering making a move in this hot lateral market, would a firm that’s taking the commute out of your work day rank higher on your list? Let’s see if this new strategy works out well for Greenberg Traurig.
Press Release: Greenberg Traurig Embraces Long Island, Further Adapting to the ‘New Normal’: An Innovative Work-Near-Home Strategy [Greenberg Traurig]
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.
