Transatlantic firm goes into fully-remote mode
The newly merged Hogan Lovells Cadwalader has been forced to ask its London lawyers to work from home for a fortnight after their air conditioning systems packed in this week.
The upside? Not having to endure the Central line in a heatwave. The downside? Many will simply be swapping one stuffy workspace lacking AC for another.
The timing couldn’t really be worse for the firm. Cadwalader’s London team had been due to move into Atlantic House to join their new Hogan Lovells colleagues following the merger this week. This relocation has been put on hold, with handshakes and office tours being replaced by more of a 2020-style introduction.
Lawyers at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader may now find themselves, for a couple of weeks at least, with one of the most generous flexible working policies, as City law firms are increasingly encouraging high rates of office attendance. Many US law firms now expect lawyers in the office at least four days a week, with others effectively requiring full-time attendance. Magic Circle firms have similarly tightened expectations in recent years, generally encouraging lawyers to spend at least three days-a-week in the office.
A spokesperson for Hogan Lovells Cadwalader said:
“We are experiencing temporary issues with the air conditioning system at Atlantic House. With the ongoing heatwave in the UK, the comfort of our people is a priority, and while the issue is being resolved we have taken the decision to give our people the option to work remotely for a couple of weeks and to postpone the moves of our legacy Cadwalader colleagues that were planned for this week.”
