This Biglaw Firm's Largest Office Is Virtual -- And It Helped Bolster A Fantastic Financial Performance

Maybe your Am Law 100 firm should consider opening a remote office.

lawyer work from homeAs Biglaw firms beckon attorneys with hybrid work policies that come complete with strong suggestions that employees physically go to the office — sometimes under threat of bonus reductions — one firm has embraced remote work to the point where its largest office is now virtual.

Husch Blackwell had an incredibly strong performance in 2022, increasing its gross revenue by about 17% to $555,836,000, landing at No. 81 in the most recent Am Law 100 ranking. During a time when so many firms struggled, Husch was also able to improve upon its revenue per lawyer, head count, and net income. How did that happen?

The firm’s growth can largely be attributed to its remote office, better known as “The Link.” We’ve previously discussed the firm’s “work-from-anywhere” office when it first launched in 2020, and at that time, about 40 lawyers were working in the firm’s remote environment. Now, Husch’s Link has grown to epic proportions. Bloomberg Law has the details:

Launched in 2020, it now includes more lawyers than any of the firm’s 21 physical offices. It’s dubbed “The Link,” and next week it will hit 200 lawyers working from homes in 28 states and Washington, D.C.

While other firms pressure lawyers to return to office—or risk portions of their bonus—Husch Blackwell has gone all-in on the remote work model. The firm says it’s proving to be a differentiator.

It’s helped recruit lawyers from firms that were less accommodating, allowed the firm to retain lawyers whose lives benefited from staying at home with young families, and it’s bringing the firm more work from clients in cities that previously would have required an expensive office roll-out.

“We’ve brought scores of talented and high-power people to our law firm who wouldn’t be at Husch Blackwell if we didn’t have The Link to offer them,” J.Y. Miller, The Link’s managing partner, told Bloomberg.

What would your firm’s finances look like if a virtual office existed? What would your firm’s recruiting picture look like if a virtual office were involved? How many more talented attorneys would your firm have been able to retain if it were possible for them to continuing working remotely, without worries about heading to an office?

These may be things for law firm leaders to consider going into the future as economic headwinds blow in the direction of a possible recession.

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Husch Blackwell’s Biggest Office Is Virtual, Bucking Big Law [Bloomberg Law]


Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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