With rents in Manhattan at a 33% increase, it’s absurd to expect us to be in the city for a job that could be done remotely without giving us a 33% salary bump.
— An anonymous Davis Polk associate’s response to a survey concerning Biglaw firms’ return-to-office policies in our “post”-pandemic world. Davis Polk recently announced its own office-return policy, mandating three days of in-office work each week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The associate said the policy impacted their decision to explore lateral possibilities. Along the same lines, Milbank has asked associates to work in the office three days each week, and an anonymous associate said that while the policy was “reasonable,” it was not “ideal.” “I would gladly move to any firm paying associates the market rate if they would allow me to work 100% remotely,” they said.
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.
