How to ask for flexibility Forum

[Anonymous User]

7th year associate in a corporate practice group. Never worked from home before last March. Grew up in a rural part of fly over country and the ability to do a job I love while being close to family has been such a massive quality of life improvement. Extremely dedicated to the firm and my colleagues but it’s so hard to consistently sacrifice family (meaning proximity to family) for work when we now see that is not necessary for productivity. Never been an issue of long hours and wouldn’t be looking to step off the gas on that front.

Have been wanting to ask the firm if I could arrange to come to the office for 1 week a month (and all client and firm events) and then work from home the balance. I know there will be flexibility whenever we go back, but this would def be asking for a special arrangement.

Firm has said a few times that they would never make a remote equity partner but non equity partner would be an alternative career path. Would be willing to be a career NEP if that’s what it takes.

So question is - how would you approach the firm on this? I guess I still live in fear of asking for anything that would show something less than a 100% work before every other aspect of life mentality. But if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Another thing I have considered is just commuting back to my hometown Wed night and staying until Monday am 2x or 3x a month (when not buried in a deal). I don’t think at this point I would need to “ask” for that flexibility, but that would be tough for kids in the future so only a short term solution.

[Anonymous User]

I’m not sure how to do that without having another offer in hand. I had thrown around working remotely full time, and the partners I worked with said there was no way they’d ever allow that.

So, I got an offer in the city I wanted to move to. When I gave notice, full time work from home was an option presented to me. I considered taking it, but I had other reasons for wanting to leave.

I think the risk of doing it without an offer is that you become a flight risk (not that going to the firm with another offer is any different, in reality). I doubt a firm would get rid of a productive corporate senior associate now, but you never know.

[Anonymous User]

Yea - there is always that approach. Don’t want to leave the firm. So frustrating that these types of arrangements wouldn’t be encouraged when mid and senior talent is so thin these days (and don’t see they changing in many many years)...

[Anonymous User]

Firm has said a few times that they would never make a remote equity partner but non equity partner would be an alternative career path. Would be willing to be a career NEP if that’s what it takes.

Every firm is different, but I know seniors who have basically told the partners they need to be in City X. If you're well liked and your partners aren't total assclowns, they'll give in. However, it does seem to be a career killer. I have a few friends that have done that and they won't ever make partner, even NEP, and that was made abundantly clear to them. Best they can do is counsel. But it was worth it for their life.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks - this is helpful. I don’t think being told you will be counsel or NEP is an unfair response from the firm. I’d be OK with that - but I’m more worried about the firm saying you have no future. I don’t think they would, but that thought is always there. The implicit pressure is real in this thing.

[Elston Gunn]

Yeah, I suppose it depends on the group and firm, but I’ve seen this work out a few times. Before Covid, at a traditional firm that didn’t like WFH, one of my friends at needed to move to a random state where the firm didn’t have an office for family reasons, and the group was very happy to let her work remote full time. She was very well-liked and the group was busy, but I think reasonable partners will get onboard with it.