As the ructions of Covid-19 continue to trail two years after the pandemic started, the concept of hybrid working continues to populate law firms’ priority lists.
This topic was debated in a roundtable hosted by Speech Processing Solutions’ Ryan Prins and Ben Capstick at The Lawyer’s Business Leadership Summit. The spectre of Covid-19 infections remains prevalent globally – prompting questions as to how this will play out in the future of the workplace.
Many lawyers see the purpose of the office as an opportunity to do their job and look after their clients, despite many also thinking that Covid-19 has made it easier for people now working from home. One lawyer quipped: “We’ve been on a smart working journey for four years. We were perfectly placed when lockdown hit. What is unique to the legal sector is the apprenticeship model where lawyers are training and learning on the job. The challenge is the more senior you are, the more self-sufficient you are and makes it easier to work from home.”
The practicalities of hybrid working remain a challenge for law firms. For some, although meetings are starting to come back, the challenge of a blended working space remains hard. “We don’t think hybrid seminars are a good idea – if it’s raining or something else comes up, they might join online, but if there are speakers who have come to present it’s not good,” one delegate said.
Some lawyers spoke of encouraging more senior staff to try and leave the home office and venture back in. “Technology has worked well for the past couple of years, but it’s more about the inter-personal stuff,” one delegate added. Another participant also said: “We do have plans to drop office space because we are only maxing out about 50 per cent occupancy. On the senior side of things, we are getting pushed back more. We don’t have the breakout rooms and we can’t carry out confidential conversations that we do at home”.
In terms of events in the office, it was unequivocally agreed that “the option of having the option of hybrid is redundant”. A delegate added: “Marketing says they haven’t had a successful hybrid event. Webinars are so much easier for everyone – anyone can join from anywhere. For international attendees it is now hard to justify if there is a remote element.”
Another lawyer said: “Either everybody is in the office together or on teams together. It is a message we are trying to push out.”
Finding the right tools
Many attendees agreed that Covid-19 successfully canned the use of the futile practices, such as the phone desk. “There was so much resistance, and now that’s all been integrated into Teams. It’s been sitting on the rack and nobody uses it.”
In terms of having a secretary, the delegates also agreed that many law firms think if it takes up a secretary’s time, then it’s not seen as “taking time”. Some traditional legal processes such as pro-forma invoicing have been delivered through PDF since the pandemic and are more efficient, they noted.
The delegates made it apparent that their clients are more aware of the capability of hybrid working. One said “if you have got tech clients and you are going to print something out just to put it in an envelope, that is just ridiculous. There is an element which is just getting into the modern world. For example, using Docusign. Just get it done and dusted.”
Another added: “The feedback from clients was why do we have so many people on the calls? Can’t we just deal with the solicitors we are dealing with. The feedback is most people prefer working from home. Even with fuel costs kicked in, commuting, a lot of us live outside of the city. It’s easier to get whiteboarding sessions done from an IT perspective.”
However – one also added that many old office habits are come back- such as mass printing. One added that if those were coming back, are we getting our phones back?
Conclusively, hybrid working – in the sense of either coming into the office or working from home – can work efficiently. However, accessibility for more junior staff forms part of the main concerns for hybrid working, as well as the loss of long-term skillset and productivity, which has been voiced by many.
Sponsors’ commentary: Ryan Prins, Philips Speech Processing Solutions
Myself and my colleague, Ben Capstick had the privilege of chairing a round table at The Lawyer’s Business Leadership Summit on the topic “Making the hybrid work model for your firm and clients.”
Everyone was very open about their current set up within the hybrid world and where they still had challenges; this then created a brilliant setting for other people to advise on how they have, or would overcome these certain obstacles. Some of the topics included:
- Cloud migration
- Hybrid Training
- Retention
- Maintaining a strong collaborative culture
- Security
The key takeaway for us, was that currently 50 per cent of staff are working in the office 2 to 3 days a week, meaning hybrid working is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Nowadays, it seems like people use the office predominately for meetings; however, if there is significant travel time or cost savings to be had, people prefer to work remotely. The practicalities of hybrid working are still sometimes a challenge, but with the right tools and solutions in place it has become a lot easier to achieve.
It’s fascinating to see how law firms are grappling with the complexities of hybrid work models. The legal field, known for its apprenticeship model and face-to-face interactions, is undergoing a profound transformation. The pandemic has accelerated changes, and while technology has enabled remote work, it’s clear that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
The observations on the pros and cons of hybrid seminars are especially noteworthy. While digital tools have allowed for flexibility, the interpersonal connections and spontaneous discussions that occur in an office setting are challenging to replicate virtually. Balancing these elements is an ongoing experiment.
Clients’ expectations have shifted as well. They’re now more attuned to the efficiency and convenience that modern technologies offer. It’s crucial for law firms to adapt and embrace tools like e-signatures to stay competitive and align with their clients’ evolving needs.
The return of some old office habits, like mass printing, is a curious development. It makes one wonder if these are short-lived reverberations of the past or if there’s more permanence to these changes.
Overall, the legal field, like many others, is experiencing a transformation in how work is done. Hybrid work models provide opportunities for flexibility, but they also raise questions about the preservation of essential skills and the future of office practices. As law firms navigate this evolving landscape, adaptability and openness to change will be key to their success.