"As remote work becomes popular among younger lawyers and the rise in COVID-19 cases cause firms to redraft office reopening plans, firm leaders are worried about a growing group of lawyers who have missed out on in-person mentorship from senior partners and may create a dearth of future firm leaders."
Conrad O'Brien was featured as a firm that is engaging its younger generation while balancing the in-person and virtual model.
"Remote work has forced smaller firms to get creative with cultivating a cohesive firm culture for young lawyers. Andy Gallinaro, a partner at Philadelphia-based Conrad O’Brien who manages associates, said the firm has used quiz games, business development programs and social mixers to build mentorships between associates and partners.
Starting Sept. 7, the firm will ask employees to come in two days a week to test the efficacy of that work schedule for all of September. Leaders at the firm say hybrid work will likely continue to be part of the firm’s DNA, but they will have to balance that with maintaining a culture of mentorship.
“We just have to find ways to make sure those experiences continue to happen,” he said. “I think you have to be creative and force people to have reasons to interact so you can build that culture that was sort of baked into the cake before we all went virtual.”"
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