Law Firms Have High Hopes, Vague Plans for Vaccination Success
Steve Lewis, chair of Troutman Pepper, was quoted in the March 23, 2021 Law.com article, " Law Firms Have High Hopes, Vague Plans for Vaccination Success."
With many building leases set to expire years from now—and crystal balls still on back order—immediate change appears unlikely. But Steve Lewis, who chairs Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders, quotes his firm's managing partner Tom Cole in stating, "It's time to start thinking about what life will be like."
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Lewis, who chairs a firm that was created by the Troutman Sanders-Pepper Hamilton merger amid the pandemic, says he goes to the Atlanta office every 10 days or so. "There's hardly anyone there," he says, except for more senior people who aren't comfortable working from home and younger ones escaping remote-schooling and other distractions at home.
The pandemic has challenged the firm's merger integration strategy, he acknowledged. "We're not seeing the people we know on a regular basis, let alone folks from the merger."
He doesn't expect life to return to normal instantly, seeing instead a series of phases.
In the meantime, he says his firm budgeted for a return to the office sometime in the middle of the year. Acknowledging the uncertainties, he adds, "You have to be nimble."