Prediction: When will NYC lawyers return to the office? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm a litigation associate at a V20, and our firm has given us no indication of when we can expect to return. What does TLS think?

[jarofsoup]

After Labor Day. After that i think there will be so many restrictions it won’t be worth the trouble.

[RaceJudicata]

After July 1. But with requirement that you wear a mask all day, effectively reducing office attendance to zero.

[BaileyJohnson]

July 1 offices will open up temporarily, is my guess

[Spartan_Alum_12]

After Labor Day. After that i think there will be so many restrictions it won’t be worth the trouble.

That's the thing. My (now former) firm is planning on opening up back up on June 1 (not NYC). However, with no meetings in conference rooms, social distancing, and the mask/extreme sensitization requirements, it made me think is it even worth the trouble? Working from home seems much better and more efficient in these circumstances.

[bbsexclusively]

Hard to say. The numbers are not coming down. July will be just as bad if things don't improve.

[HarrisonK]

Hard to say. The numbers are not coming down. July will be just as bad if things don't improve.

Aren't the numbers in NYC coming down significantly everyday? Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb talks about the numbers in NYC decreasing everyday (though the numbers nationwide, excluding NYC, continue to increase).

I've been thinking offices will reopen after July 4 for some time and that belief hasn't changed.

[Excellent117]

Do you mean when will you be able to return or when will you be required to return?

[jarofsoup]

I think part of the issue with NYC is the subway and reliance on mass transit.

I don’t feel safe taking it. There is no way that they can prevent over crowding.

NYC cases are on the way down but it seems like people took it pretty seriously here.

I don’t understand the comment about the face masks and why that matters. But if we have to wear safe masks is it really safe to go in?

One question do you want to go back in? I hate the commute and office politics.

[sophie361]

Do you mean when will you be able to return or when will you be required to return?

I would be surprised if NYC law firms required people to go into the office for the rest of 2020 if they don't want to. I imagine most firms will open up at something like 25% capacity late summer/early fall. Lots of associates are relocating out of NYC and I doubt will come back until people are comfortable being on the subway again.

[hatelawandgoinghome]

I think part of the issue with NYC is the subway and reliance on mass transit.

I don’t feel safe taking it. There is no way that they can prevent over crowding.

NYC cases are on the way down but it seems like people took it pretty seriously here.

I don’t understand the comment about the face masks and why that matters. But if we have to wear safe masks is it really safe to go in?

One question do you want to go back in? I hate the commute and office politics.

Depends on what you mean by safe. When the infection rate drops down to the seasonal flu level, I think that's when most corporations would deem it to be safe enough to let the worker bees to come back. However, I agree that mass transit is going to be a HUGE problem - a single infected person on the MTA can easily get over 100 people infected. At this point I think safe in NYC means is to keep the infection rate low enough that the hospitals have enough rooms for those that need it, but there is no way that you can be safe from contracting the virus in the city until a vaccine is ready.

[cisscum]

I think part of the issue with NYC is the subway and reliance on mass transit.

I don’t feel safe taking it. There is no way that they can prevent over crowding.

NYC cases are on the way down but it seems like people took it pretty seriously here.

I don’t understand the comment about the face masks and why that matters. But if we have to wear safe masks is it really safe to go in?

One question do you want to go back in? I hate the commute and office politics.

No, I definitely don't want to go in, I hate the office. Could not care less about the virus but I hope this goes on for as long as possible.

[kaiser]

My guess is after Labor Day, though it could very well be longer. I used to be in biglaw and found the only benefit to being in office was the ability to have in-person meetings (plus having an excellent work space with all the equipment I needed). If there is no ability to have those in person meetings, I would most certainly just remain home.

[Anonymous User]

Anonymous Milbank associate here since I’m not sure if we are supposed to say this info outside the firm. The firm affirmatively told us not to expect to come back into the nyc office before September

[hdivschool]

My vote is for Labor Day or later.

[Anonymous User]

A V5 this week told NY associates they'll probably be remote until the end of the summer.

[dvlthndr]

Even if the office is "officially" open, I'm guessing everyone will be working from home until January.

[RaceJudicata]

I think part of the issue with NYC is the subway and reliance on mass transit.

I don’t feel safe taking it. There is no way that they can prevent over crowding.

NYC cases are on the way down but it seems like people took it pretty seriously here.

I don’t understand the comment about the face masks and why that matters. But if we have to wear safe masks is it really safe to go in?

One question do you want to go back in? I hate the commute and office politics.

Face masks matter because it would absolutely suck to work for 8+ hrs in a facemask - which is what some states are contemplating as the requirement.

[cisscum]

I think part of the issue with NYC is the subway and reliance on mass transit.

I don’t feel safe taking it. There is no way that they can prevent over crowding.

NYC cases are on the way down but it seems like people took it pretty seriously here.

I don’t understand the comment about the face masks and why that matters. But if we have to wear safe masks is it really safe to go in?

One question do you want to go back in? I hate the commute and office politics.

Face masks matter because it would absolutely suck to work for 8+ hrs in a facemask - which is what some states are contemplating as the requirement.

It wouldn't be 8 hrs, we have our own offices at my firm. It would just be meetings and in hallways and elevators which would still suck and make you wonder whether it's worth it

[jarofsoup]

So do you get an impression that folks in like atlanta and Texas are going back like next week?

[Anon115523]

So do you get an impression that folks in like atlanta and Texas are going back like next week?

I'd be shocked if private entities, such as law firms, take the bait on "opening the country" and agree to go back to normal b/c some Republican governor wants praise from Trump. It's not going to be realistic to go back to work until at least the end of the summer--nevertheless, southern states persist.

Let the people dumb enough to risk their lives to get a haircut and a loaf of bread because they want to own the libs go out--I think firms are going to see through this and stay closed down as long as firms in CA/NY.

[Lesion of Doom]

I'd be surprised if things return to normal before January. I take the 7, which runs through the heart of Queens, and any expectation that I'd commute to Midtown every day is unreasonable.

[Anonymous User]

So do you get an impression that folks in like atlanta and Texas are going back like next week?

I'd be shocked if private entities, such as law firms, take the bait on "opening the country" and agree to go back to normal b/c some Republican governor wants praise from Trump. It's not going to be realistic to go back to work until at least the end of the summer--nevertheless, southern states persist.

Let the people dumb enough to risk their lives to get a haircut and a loaf of bread because they want to own the libs go out--I think firms are going to see through this and stay closed down as long as firms in CA/NY.

Law firms and corporate America will follow what the rest of the "market" is doing in their area. If everything else opens up they will too. Also not sure why you are lumping CA in with NY, other than politics they are in completely different situations.

[axel.foley]

NYC biglaw firms will not have attorneys back in the office in any significant number until (1) there is a vaccine and (2) the vaccine is distributed en masse. Our work can all be done remotely. Even things that seemed difficult to do remotely, like depos, are now going forward. Very few will be willing to take the subway and crowd into midtown/FiDi unless it's absolutely necessary -- and in our industry, it's not.

[cisscum]

NYC biglaw firms will not have attorneys back in the office in any significant number until (1) there is a vaccine and (2) the vaccine is distributed en masse. Our work can all be done remotely. Even things that seemed difficult to do remotely, like depos, are now going forward. Very few will be willing to take the subway and crowd into midtown/FiDi unless it's absolutely necessary -- and in our industry, it's not.

If our work can all be done remotely, then that has nothing to do with the virus. It's more of a question of whether partners are willing to give up being able to force people into the office.