Biglaw firms continue to mandate that attorneys have a physical presence in the office, and in recent times, those mandates have applied firmwide, not just to specific practice groups. One of the last times that particular practice groups were singled out to spend more time in the office was nearly three years ago — but for one top firm’s corporate lawyers, that’s all about to change.
Sources tell us that DLA Piper — a firm that brought in $4,239,832,000 gross revenue in 2024, putting it at No. 3 on the Am Law 100 — has increased its in-person attendance policy to four days for its U.S. corporate attorneys, up from the firm’s three-day mandate that was instituted last year. That policy gave practice group leaders discretion to adjust attendance requirements based on current needs. Andrew Gilbert, the firm’s U.S. corporate practice chair, explained his rationale for the move in an email, saying that the increased face time would “support our culture of collaboration, enhance mentorship opportunities, and strengthen growth and development.” The new attendance requirements will be cited in associate evaluations.
Frank Ryan, DLA Piper’s global co-chair, global co-CEO, and Americas chair, told Law.com that “[s]ome of it is associates wanting more in-office time, some of it is just work levels. For the corporate group, it felt like a good time to do this.”
It is unknown at this time whether any other practice groups have been affected by this new attendance mandate.
Quite a few Biglaw firms are now requiring four days in the office firmwide, including the likes of Davis Polk; Latham; Paul Weiss; Ropes & Gray; Simpson Thacher; Skadden; Vinson & Elkins; Weil Gotshal; WilmerHale; White & Case; Sidley; Hogan Lovells; A&O Shearman; and Covington. Sullivan & Cromwell has taken its attendance policy one step further, requiring attorneys to work from the office five days each week.
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DLA Piper Increases In-Office Requirement for US Corporate Lawyers [Law.com]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of 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 Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
