Beyond the Basics: Remote Supervision and Hybrid Law Offices

So your remote law office is all set up, you’ve developed a plan to incorporate certain tools and technology into your practice, and you’re ready to begin client work. If you’re considering hiring staff, you may be thinking about how you’ll supervise them when you’re not in the same physical space. Or maybe you’ve been working from home for a while and are experiencing some difficulties in overseeing associates or staff who are also working remotely.

Let’s go beyond the basics, first tackling the potentially tricky issue of remote staff supervision, then exploring issues for hybrid law offices. 

How do I supervise associates and staff who are working remotely?

As most supervising lawyers will tell you, managing employees is hard enough when you’re all in the same office space and can talk face to face without needing digital assistance. Take away the regular in-person contact, and you have the perfect recipe for a challenging personnel situation. Effective management of a remote or partially remote workforce is more than just overseeing their work, monitoring productivity, and measuring results. Yes, you need to stay on top of the details and make sure that everyone is complying with ethics rules, office protocols, and best practices. But running a law office, heading up a practice group, or even just working with your paralegal or legal assistant – if done well – is also about creating a workplace culture where everyone feels supported to succeed.

Should I consider a hybrid model for my law office?

It’s too soon to know, but remote work could be relevant for some time, even in a post-vaccine world. Initially, many people might be cautious and want to gradually transition back to fully staffed offices. Others might implement hybrid workforce models, with staggered shifts or flexibility for staff to work from home part of the time. Because current technology makes it possible and convenient, remote work will probably never fully disappear. Only time will tell. In the meantime, lawyers will need guidance on issues like re-opening their law offices, practicing law in other jurisdictions, and adapting to a continually changing environment.