Now that law firm offices are reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic, attorneys are beginning to socialize more like they did several years ago. Many lawyers are informally catching up with coworkers, and this has a positive impact on morale and fostering a team spirit at law firms. Some law firms sponsor regular happy hours for their associates so that people who work at a firm can interact in a more casual setting. More law firms should consider sponsoring such events since they can make it more fun to come to an office and can help attorneys interact outside of a typical office setting.
Before starting my own law firm about four years ago, I worked at a few shops that had regular law firm happy hours. When I was in Biglaw, I worked at a shop that had a huge happy hour on the third Thursday of every month. I think that the law firm called this “Third Thursdays” or something similar. The happy hour took place inside our office in a space that was used for social settings, and it usually included a selection of beer, nonalcoholic beverages, and a bunch of solid food offerings.
I really looked forward to Third Thursdays, since it was a good time to unwind and relax with coworkers. Such an event could lead to interactions with people that attorneys might not typically see and getting to know coworkers on a deeper level. I would be remiss if I did not mention that Third Thursdays made the pages of Above the Law for misconduct that allegedly occurred at this event, and safeguards need to be in place to ensure that people have fun responsibly during such activities. However, on the whole, this firm-sponsored happy hour was a great way to interact with coworkers.
At another firm at which I worked, the happy hours were much less formal. On Friday afternoons, the law firm administrator would run to the Duane Reade drugstore across the street from our office and pick up some snacks and adult beverages. She would then go through the halls inviting anyone who was in the office on a Friday afternoon to a happy hour held either in the conference room or the managing partner’s office.
You might think that people just wanted to leave the office on a Friday afternoon and get on with their personal lives. But each week, I was shocked that a sizeable number of the attorneys and staff stayed at the office for an hour or two after working hours to drink and eat with their coworkers. This was a really good way for associates to get into the partners’ good graces, and at that firm, making connections with partners was important to getting favorable assignments. However, it was also fun for the associates to interact with each other at the law firm happy hours. I still keep in touch with tons of people from that law firm, and this could be because of the firm culture cultivated by those happy hours.
If law firms are inclined to host law firm happy hours, there are a few things they should keep in mind to ensure that they will be a success. For one, such happy hours should not take place in the office if at all possible. When people interact in an office setting, it is more difficult to be completely detached from work. However, when people interact at a bar or other similar setting, it is easier for everyone to focus on socializing rather than work. Sometimes, it is impossible to host happy hours outside of the office, either for financial or geographic reasons, but if possible, law firm happy hours should take place outside of the office.
Also, it is important that law firms make accommodations for people who do not drink due to religious custom, personal preference, and other reasons. Not everyone drinks alcoholic beverages. Some may feel pressured at law firm happy hours to drink alcohol to be part of the group, and this should be avoided as much as possible so everyone feels as comfortable as they can be at such events.
All told, law firm happy hours can have a number of benefits, and more shops should consider holding such events. Law firm happy hours can lead to an improved law firm culture and can build team spirit that can help ensure attorneys and staff are better able to serve clients.
Jordan Rothman is a partner of The Rothman Law Firm, a full-service New York and New Jersey law firm. He is also the founder of Student Debt Diaries, a website discussing how he paid off his student loans. You can reach Jordan through email at jordan@rothmanlawyer.com.
