Some of these issues have already started to play out at firms that are back in the office. And in a legal environment where there is more work than human capital, a lack of efficiency in working could have big financial tolls. 

Part-Time Jobs

"It's harder to work part time than it is full time," Trish Lilley, chief marketing and business development officer at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, said. "I think there is an element of that where how your days will be different working from home or the office, and figuring out that schedule and getting into a groove will take a while."

Another business professional in a senior role at an Am Law 100 firm, who asked not to be named, agreed that changing up from day to day isn't exactly the most efficient way to go about doing a job. 

"We are asking people to shift gears on a daily basis," they said. "A lot of people moved out of the city and now they have to figure out their commutes. With some days at home and some days at the office, it will feel very choppy for the first few months, and we have to anticipate that."

After adapting from an in-office routine to a fully remote routine in March 2020, people now have to adapt to a hybrid routine, which will take some time.

"Myself, I am much less productive in the office because of the commute and bumping into people in the office," the Am Law 100 business professional said. "You lose some of that 'crank it out' ability you had at home."

Social Animals

The primary reason firms are bringing people back is the social interaction said people get with their colleagues. But it doesn't come without some cost. 

"We had a couple of days over the summer where we asked people to come in, clear out some holiday cards and dead plants and such," Kevin Iredell, CMO at Lowenstein Sandler, said. "It was fantastic. But I got no work done because I hadn't seen people in over a year, and half the people I saw I had never met in person because they were hired during the pandemic."

Lilley said the first time she was back in the office, she walked every floor of the building to say hi to colleagues and co-workers she hadn't seen in 18 months. 

"It's the novelty factor," she said. "I think people like the excitement that something is different, especially after the sameness of the last 18 months."

But, she said, that does come at something of a cost. 

"We have gotten used to being laser-focused at home," she said. "People would work uninterrupted from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Now, we have to be more intentional about our work when in the office."

If You Build It … What If They Don't Come?

Some people still may not want to go into the office, whether it be for safety reasons or efficiency. But if some people don't go to the office, then other people might not want to go into the office. 

"For my team, about 60% to 70% come in with some frequency," the senior Am Law 100 business professional said. "What I have heard from other firms that have opened, is that their policies are not all being followed. But the mentality is that it is better than where we were, it is progress and it is an improvement."

A tight talent market for both attorneys and business professionals might put firms' adherence to their office mandates to the test. If some personnel aren't coming in, or are finding reasons not to and are still productive, will firm's lean on them to come in as asked? Or will the flexibility firms have spoken of win out? We'll learn more about that in the coming months. For now, let's start by clearing out the overgrown plants and learning hybrid Zoom.