Reed Smith plans to reopen all its US offices by September

Reed Smith plans to reopen all its US offices by September

Phased reopening of all 17 US offices is to be followed by permanent flexible working arrangements

With the US gradually progressing towards becoming a mask-free nation following an intense vaccination programme, law firms in the country are in the process of firming up their plans to fully reopen their office in the near future.

Following Sullivan & Cromwell's announcement that it would encourage its staff to return to the office from 6 July, another law firm Reed Smith has said it plans to fully reopen all of its US offices in September.

The reopening will be done in a phased manner and new flexible work arrangements.

Reed Smith has announced that all its 17 US offices will be reopened by 7 September, subject to any local Covid-19 restrictions.

The phased approach will begin this month. A 'Welcome Back Wednesday' programme is to be launched in June when all US employees will be encouraged to work in the office one Wednesday during the month. This is to be followed by a soft opening in July for employees to return by reservation only to manage capacity.

"The move to flexible work represents a step forward in transforming our business based on the new understanding we have gained from our remote work experience during the pandemic. We have learned that we can serve our clients at the highest level in a work environment that includes flexibility, and that this arrangement offers significant benefits to our people as well," Sandy Thomas, Reed Smith's global managing partner, said.

Under the proposed flexible working plans, lawyers will not be required to work a set number of days in the office. Instead, they will be expected to maintain some routine physical presence in the office and report only for the client and team meetings, office events, training sessions and practice group meetings.

The firm has also underlined the importance of shared office space for teamwork, mentoring and collaboration, particularly to provide support for associates and other junior lawyers.

"Our working environment and the ways we support clients have changed significantly from the pre-pandemic world. We have adopted this flexible work policy with this new reality in mind and to capitalise on the best parts of what we have learned from remote working," Casey Ryan, Reed Smith's global head of legal personnel, said.

The firm will work out how much time people need to spend in the office under the new flexible working arrangements. It will be designated either office-based, essential staff that need to be in the office full-time, hybrid or fully flexible.

Nick Bagiatis, Reed Smith's chief operating officer, said: "We know what it takes to make a flexible-work programme a success. We have to continue to effectively and efficiently serve the needs of our clients, foster collaboration with colleagues and team members and ensure strong work practices and processes."

It is widely anticipated that the work from home norm is here to stay even after all lockdown related restrictions are removed since it leads to improved work-life balance and productivity.