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Remote Work Doesn’t Have to Stymie Career Progress—but Don’t Stay Home Too Long, Partners Say As the world returns—or at least considers returning—to a new normal with vaccinations driving down the incidence of new COVID-19 cases and offices, businesses and courthouses reopening, it seems like an appropriate time to assess a different kind of survival.
The Daily Report asked a few law firm partners whether they see the remote work required by the pandemic lockdown pushing down the career progress of associates, and whether they had any advice for staying on track.
The answer in a nutshell: No. And yes.
Of course, they said more than that. They’re lawyers. And the answers vary according to firm and circumstances. Here are the highlights.
'A Limit to What You Can Learn'
“So far, I haven’t seen any slowing down at SGR of elevating worthy lawyers to the partnership,” said Smith, Gambrell & Russell partner and former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears. “We’ve stayed pretty steady. SGR has done well in the last year or so, despite the pandemic. So we’ve been able to continue to reward all of those lawyers who’ve helped make the firm a success, thankfully.”
But on the second question … wait for it.
“Regarding my advice for young lawyers who may be, at this point, reluctant to return to the office, they should remember that there’s a limit to what you can learn sitting in front of a computer at home,” Sears said. “Such a stagnant, non-challenging work environment, which only they inhabit, can eventually become a catalyst for stale, unambitious ideas. Plus, I don’t believe that a totally virtual environment allows for the learning by osmosis and observation (the way you learned your language, for instance) essential to a young lawyer’s development. Sure, you may be able to master a task on your computer at home. But if you’re only rarely in the physical presence of other lawyers, you’ll likely miss out on important learning opportunities that virtual situations can’t provide you.”
Think About Context
“It’s a hundreds-of-years-old tradition to learn the craft at the elbow of more experienced and knowledgeable lawyers, so health and safety permitting, there is tremendous value for young lawyers to be in-person with their peers,” Joe Akrotirianakis, a partner in Atlanta-based King & Spalding’s Los Angeles office who went back to his desk as soon as he could.
“When researching an issue that is new to you, it is critical to not only read the section that provides the answers, but to review the surrounding parts of the chapter as well," he continued. "As young lawyers look to grow in their legal careers, it is important for them to remember that when they are not looking at the big picture first, they run the risk of losing the context needed to fully understand the situation.”
Quality Interactions Over Quantity
Naveen Ramachandrappa of Bondurant Mixson & Elmore said he was fortunate to be elected for partnership in the summer of 2018, with an effective date of January 1, 2019. “My pre-pandemic business relationships were pretty strong, and so I've had the privilege of not really changing much or having to think differently about it,” he said.
Michael Terry, who’s been a partner a bit longer at Bondurant Mixson & Elmore said, noted some of the differences others may have experienced. “Keeping career development on track during the pandemic certainly has required greater attention,” Terry said. “Social gatherings with other attorneys and clients and referral sources were unavailable or remote. Interactions at the courthouse with other attorneys who might refer business were not occurring. So it took a lot more planning, but it certainly could be done.”
But Terry sounded a note of caution on the return. “As we exit the pandemic, hopefully, it will be important for attorneys not to overcommit and to focus on quality and not just quantity of such interactions,” he said.
'Do Good Work. Be a Good Person'
Plaintiff’s lawyer Jeb Butler started his own firm—the Butler Firm—in 2019 to handle personal injury and wrongful death cases. He said his experience at a small firm is very different from big law and quoted "Song of the South" by Alabama—“the band, not the state”—talking about the Great Depression: “Somebody told us Wall Street fell, but we were so poor, we couldn’t tell.”
But his firm is now up to eight people—five lawyers and three paralegals—and looking to hire more. “We’ve stayed pretty busy,” he said. “There was a time in early 2020 when things slowed down—when we thought COVID was temporary. I was able to use that to work on the operational structure of the law firm and do business things to make sure we have the right processes in place -- which is fortunate because now, more people are calling us, but also more judges are doing things. So now we’re taxed on output and input.”
Butler just finished a jury trial last week, winning a $500,000 verdict.
He said he believes some things about career advancement are true everywhere. “Do good work. Be a good person. That’s about it,” he said. “Nobody wants to hang around somebody who’s dishonest or a jerk. Unless they’re dishonest or a jerk. In which case you need to change law firms.”
Be Intentional
Not for that reason, of course, but Arwen Johnson did change law firms during the pandemic, moving from Boies Schiller Flexner to King & Spalding in the Los Angeles office as a partner.
Johnson said her heart is in the office for work, and she likes to “suit up” for a trial, even if it’s on Zoom—which one of her recent ones was. But she hopes to take some lessons from the pandemic forward: connecting remotely when it’s better, balancing work and life, finding new ways to reach out. “I think we’ve all learned to demonstrate a little grace toward each other,” she said, speaking from her office on a Zoom call.
She offered a hopeful image of her 4-year-old son walking around their neighborhood during the pandemic, picking up dry dandelions to blow them away. But first, he would make one of two wishes: “I wish coronavirus would be over,” or “I wish I could go to Disneyland.”
Johnson gave her son his second wish, taking him to the theme park at what turned out to be a perfect time—open at only 25% capacity, no lines.
We all hope his other wish comes true, too.
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