The concept of remote general counsel (GC) appears to be dwindling as more employers now require their teams to work from their principal place of work. This marks a significant shift from the trend seen in early 2022, when a reported half of all general counsels in the midst of job searches wished to work fully remotely – a request many firms were willing to meet.
This revelation prompts a re-evaluation of our understanding about the future of work in the legal hemisphere, particularly as it pertains to legal professionals and their preferred mode of operation. The sudden shift towards a “hard hybrid” approach signals a break from the remote and flexible work trend that held sway at the height of the pandemic.
The switch, according to Chicago-based in-house recruiter Mike Evers, is driven by the recognition that, in most cases, “you do need to work where the job is.”
This development forms the latest entry in a series by Law.com that delves into the future of work within the legal industry. The series seeks to decipher the evolving landscape. You can find the previous entries in the series here,
here,
here, and
here.
For more on the trend of employer preferences switching to a ‘hard hybrid’ approach, you can read the full discussion on this topic here.