Pryor Cashman Managing Partner Ronald Shechtman discusses the logistical challenges and shifts in priorities that have been necessary to weather the pandemic. As we approach the first-year marker for large-scale work from home procedures, law firms are reevaluating their administrative staffing models and considering replacing the traditional 1:1 model with a more flexible "pool model." According to Law360 Pulse:
The pandemic [...] may have been the tipping point for several firms.
Whether this model will catch on in Mid-Law, however, remains to be seen. [...]
Some Mid-Law firms are considering the idea. Managing partner Ronald H. Shechtman of Pryor Cashman LLP, which has over 150 attorneys based at offices in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, told Law360 that the firm is taking an open-minded approach right now.
"We're looking at every area, top to bottom, as to how we can best meet the new normal," Shechtman said.
That includes considering the merits of a pooled model for staff services as opposed to the dedicated assistants it currently has, he said.
The model would potentially provide more consistent coverage, with a staff member theoretically always available to take a request, he said. But it would also mean that staff members would be less familiar with an attorney's practice, which could mean attorneys would need to supervise more closely.
However, Shechtman added, overall he thinks that now is a good time for firms to make changes and that there is currently more openness among both the partners and the rank and file within the firm to new ideas.
"I think the change in work ... has been so radical and extreme that when we return, there will be more openness than has existed in the past to different models and to experiment with different modalities," he said.
Unlike some BigLaw firms, [...] Shechtman also said that [his firm is not] planning to reduce staffing levels. In fact, after the increase in productivity while attorneys have been working remotely, Shechtman said that Pryor Cashman is open to the idea of increasing the number of staff positions.
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