Fully-remote firms other than Quinn? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Do any market-paying firms offer fully-remote positions for junior lit associates or clerks other than Quinn? I want to live in a state with almost no true biglaw. Thanks.

Anon because previous posts could identify me.

[Anonymous User]

Cooley

[Anonymous User]

Not totally on-point because it was transactional, but KE Chicago has remote associates who come in 1-2 times a quarter. worth a look

[Anonymous User]

Orrick

[LSApplicant2021]

Rising 2L HYS. I have a compelling reason to work remote for the first several years of my career. I got offers for all the firms below and then attempted to negotiate for remote work with some success. YMMV.
Wilson Sonsini - fully supports remote. For those who are based at an office the norm is typically 1-2 days per week.
Goodwin - fully supports remote. They seem very supportive of people who don’t come in at all. And they have a pretty decent track record of hiring fully remote.
Latham - approved remote work with some heavy requirements to be in the office from time to time. Something like one week (T-Th) per month.
Morgan Lewis - “we will do everything we can to support” without actually committing to remote work. Firm goal is Wednesday plus 1.
Cooley - requires you to live within commuting distance of an office. Though they don’t require in office any days.
Foley Hoag - not prepared to back fully remote.

[Anonymous User]

Any clue how the bar works for remote offices? e.g., one lives in Texas and works for a Miami office, does one take the bar in Texas or Miami?

[Anonymous User]

Rising 2L HYS. I have a compelling reason to work remote for the first several years of my career. I got offers for all the firms below and then attempted to negotiate for remote work with some success. YMMV.
Wilson Sonsini - fully supports remote. For those who are based at an office the norm is typically 1-2 days per week.
Goodwin - fully supports remote. They seem very supportive of people who don’t come in at all. And they have a pretty decent track record of hiring fully remote.
Latham - approved remote work with some heavy requirements to be in the office from time to time. Something like one week (T-Th) per month.
Morgan Lewis - “we will do everything we can to support” without actually committing to remote work. Firm goal is Wednesday plus 1.
Cooley - requires you to live within commuting distance of an office. Though they don’t require in office any days.
Foley Hoag - not prepared to back fully remote.

I'm at Cooley and I don't live within commuting distance of an office, as I have personal circumstances that basically require me to do so for the next two years. No one has ever mentioned such a rule to me, who told you this? It's possible this is a rule, but it hasn't been communicated to me.

Everyone I work with knows this, including partners, everyone is super understanding. I come in for a week or so every few months to show face. I know of at least one other person who also did this here, and they started doing it even pre-pandemic with the firm's go-ahead.

[Anonymous User]

Any clue how the bar works for remote offices? e.g., one lives in Texas and works for a Miami office, does one take the bar in Texas or Miami?

At Goodwin, how it works (which I suspect is how it works for other firms), is that you have to be barred (1) in the state you're remote and (2) in at least one state in which the firm has an office (so for Goodwin, any of California, DC, Massachusetts or New York). You then get affiliated with an office which becomes your "home" office (not necessarily where you're barred, i.e., you're remote in Florida and barred there, waive into DC but work with the NY office) and you generally take work from those folks, as well as get a travel budget to visit the folks you work with every 1-2 months but there's not a strong demand to do so.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone negotiated a remote position at a firm that is not fully remote? If so, how did that process go? I am planning on gunning for a remote position after my COA clerkship and would love to hear success stories.

[Anonymous User]

Perkins Coie has fully remote positions.

[Anonymous User]

Any clue how the bar works for remote offices? e.g., one lives in Texas and works for a Miami office, does one take the bar in Texas or Miami?

At Goodwin, how it works (which I suspect is how it works for other firms), is that you have to be barred (1) in the state you're remote and (2) in at least one state in which the firm has an office (so for Goodwin, any of California, DC, Massachusetts or New York). You then get affiliated with an office which becomes your "home" office (not necessarily where you're barred, i.e., you're remote in Florida and barred there, waive into DC but work with the NY office) and you generally take work from those folks, as well as get a travel budget to visit the folks you work with every 1-2 months but there's not a strong demand to do so.

Adding to this, the rule on being barred in the state you're remote in may vary depending on how that state views out-of-state remote attorneys who aren't barred in said state. Basically, if a state has made it clear that it does not view such attorneys to be engaging in the "unauthorized practice of law" by not being barred in said state, then some of the more remote-friendly firms may allow you to work there without taking that state's bar exam.

Florida is one of these states whose supreme court has explicitly come out and said attorneys barred in other states are fine to work there (link below) - I can confirm certain of the more remote-friendly firms mentioned above have greenlit attorneys working remotely from Florida without taking the Florida bar because of this.

Some states have not been so forthcoming on guidance for remote out-of-state attorneys and/or may be more restrictive, so your mileage may vary (ex: I have seen a handful of attorneys looking to work remotely while unbarred in Hawaii, Delaware and California who were blocked at some otherwise very remote-friendly firms for this reason, and told they need to take the bar in those states in order to go).

https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida- ... m-florida/

[Anonymous User]

I don't get how firms are going to survive if they don't offer at least some form of remote work if some firms already are offering fully remote positions.

Are people at firms who aren't "fully" remote at least currently getting some type of hybrid schedule?

[Anonymous User]

Any clue how the bar works for remote offices? e.g., one lives in Texas and works for a Miami office, does one take the bar in Texas or Miami?

At Goodwin, how it works (which I suspect is how it works for other firms), is that you have to be barred (1) in the state you're remote and (2) in at least one state in which the firm has an office (so for Goodwin, any of California, DC, Massachusetts or New York). You then get affiliated with an office which becomes your "home" office (not necessarily where you're barred, i.e., you're remote in Florida and barred there, waive into DC but work with the NY office) and you generally take work from those folks, as well as get a travel budget to visit the folks you work with every 1-2 months but there's not a strong demand to do so.

To clarify: If you're not working with the DC office, why would one need to get barred there? And wouldn't they need to get barred in NY because that is the office they are working with?

[Anonymous User]

Rising 2L HYS. I have a compelling reason to work remote for the first several years of my career. I got offers for all the firms below and then attempted to negotiate for remote work with some success. YMMV.
Wilson Sonsini - fully supports remote. For those who are based at an office the norm is typically 1-2 days per week.
Goodwin - fully supports remote. They seem very supportive of people who don’t come in at all. And they have a pretty decent track record of hiring fully remote.
Latham - approved remote work with some heavy requirements to be in the office from time to time. Something like one week (T-Th) per month.
Morgan Lewis - “we will do everything we can to support” without actually committing to remote work. Firm goal is Wednesday plus 1.
Cooley - requires you to live within commuting distance of an office. Though they don’t require in office any days.
Foley Hoag - not prepared to back fully remote.

Original anon here. This is incredibly helpful! I also have compelling reasons to work remotely (family and health related), but I would prefer not to go into a huge amount of detail with firms unless and until it's necessary. How did you approach this in the interview process? I'm not sure if it's better to mention in a cover letter or wait until an interview to mention it. TY!

[Anonymous User]

Orrick

How does someone looking to work remotely decide which Orrick office to apply to? Should they mention a desire for remote work in a CL, or wait until interviewing? Thank you!

[Anonymous User]

Anon for obvious reasons

I’m an associate in Cooley’s NY office and we were told to sus out and recruit only potential summer associates who were interested in working from the office at least a small amount. No idea if that applies to our other offices but there’s been a lot of soft recommendations for NY associates to come into the office and show face at least a few times a month. Nothing is required and I don’t think they’ll change that, but it’s important to the firm (and therefore important for your reputation at the firm) to show some face here and there (although def not every day or even every week).

[Anonymous User]

Rising 2L HYS. I have a compelling reason to work remote for the first several years of my career. I got offers for all the firms below and then attempted to negotiate for remote work with some success. YMMV.
Wilson Sonsini - fully supports remote. For those who are based at an office the norm is typically 1-2 days per week.
Goodwin - fully supports remote. They seem very supportive of people who don’t come in at all. And they have a pretty decent track record of hiring fully remote.
Latham - approved remote work with some heavy requirements to be in the office from time to time. Something like one week (T-Th) per month.
Morgan Lewis - “we will do everything we can to support” without actually committing to remote work. Firm goal is Wednesday plus 1.
Cooley - requires you to live within commuting distance of an office. Though they don’t require in office any days.
Foley Hoag - not prepared to back fully remote.

Original anon here. This is incredibly helpful! I also have compelling reasons to work remotely (family and health related), but I would prefer not to go into a huge amount of detail with firms unless and until it's necessary. How did you approach this in the interview process? I'm not sure if it's better to mention in a cover letter or wait until an interview to mention it. TY!

Goodwin anon above. You should mention it straight-up. It does you no good to get into the meat of an interview process only for it to come out later that the firm isn't actually that remote-friendly. If you have a throwaway account or similar, happy to chat about Goodwin via DM if helpful.

[Anonymous User]

Any clue how the bar works for remote offices? e.g., one lives in Texas and works for a Miami office, does one take the bar in Texas or Miami?

At Goodwin, how it works (which I suspect is how it works for other firms), is that you have to be barred (1) in the state you're remote and (2) in at least one state in which the firm has an office (so for Goodwin, any of California, DC, Massachusetts or New York). You then get affiliated with an office which becomes your "home" office (not necessarily where you're barred, i.e., you're remote in Florida and barred there, waive into DC but work with the NY office) and you generally take work from those folks, as well as get a travel budget to visit the folks you work with every 1-2 months but there's not a strong demand to do so.

To clarify: If you're not working with the DC office, why would one need to get barred there? And wouldn't they need to get barred in NY because that is the office they are working with?

You just need to be barred somewhere where the firm has an office. Not sure what the origin of the requirement is but that's just how they're playing it (whether for UPL reasons, tax reasons or otherwise). Most remote folks who are not already barred where Goodwin has an office get barred in DC since it's the easiest to get barred via waiver.

[Anonymous User]

Anon for obvious reasons

I’m an associate in Cooley’s NY office and we were told to sus out and recruit only potential summer associates who were interested in working from the office at least a small amount. No idea if that applies to our other offices but there’s been a lot of soft recommendations for NY associates to come into the office and show face at least a few times a month. Nothing is required and I don’t think they’ll change that, but it’s important to the firm (and therefore important for your reputation at the firm) to show some face here and there (although def not every day or even every week).

Can I ask how this request went over? I’m just a bit surprised that a firm that has been quite vocal about its fully remote option to also stealthily drop incoming associates who want to use that option so if I was an associate there I’d be a bit worried that remote work isn’t actually an option. Or do the vast majority of associates at Cooley just come in and kind of low key wish this was how it was for everyone (and therefore gladly helped with sussing out summers)?

[Anonymous User]

Bump, especially for any other firms that are known to offer remote/flex, or the flip (i.e., firms having a strict physical presence policy), as well as any other experiences gained over the last few weeks.

[Anonymous User]

Not totally on-point because it was transactional, but KE Chicago has remote associates who come in 1-2 times a quarter. worth a look

Which transactional groups? and what level associates? news to me

[Anonymous User]

Not totally on-point because it was transactional, but KE Chicago has remote associates who come in 1-2 times a quarter. worth a look

Which transactional groups? and what level associates? news to me

Not the original anon but I'm aware of a variety of class years from 2020 and more senior for M&A and capM, working in states without K&E offices.

[Anonymous User]

Bump, especially for any other firms that are known to offer remote/flex, or the flip (i.e., firms having a strict physical presence policy), as well as any other experiences gained over the last few weeks.

Wondering the same, in particular WC, BSF, S&C, Latham, and other firms with strong litigation groups.

[Anonymous User]

Not to derail this thread, but what are most firms' current policies? Is 3 days a week the norm?

[Anonymous User]

Bump, in case anyone else has more info, particularly for tech transactions. Is it harder to negotiate a full remote position lateral position?