That’s more or less the gist of the countless surveys being sent out by UK Magic Circle firms and UK corporates, as they begin planning what a return to normality could like. And an e-discovery vendor picks up some needed new business.

1. “Hey … UK corporates? You all ready to go back into the office?”
Well … depends. But an e-discovery provider gets a jolt of new
business from all of this.
That’s more or less the gist of the countless surveys being sent out by UK
Magic Circle firms and UK corporates, as they begin planning what a return
to normality could like.
In the large majority of cases, the resounding answer to the question is no;
a survey put out by Norton Rose Fulbright found only 12 per cent of its EMEA
staff are “very relaxed” about returning to work. Its new regional managing
partner Peter Scott is one of many law firm leaders trying to find – and also
communicate well – a solution to anxious employees.
In the past, it’s the communication aspect that has flummoxed those in
positions of power.
Norton Rose Fulbright is putting together plans for a gradual and phased
return to its offices after a global survey found that a huge proportion of
staff would prefer to work remotely “most of the time”, while almost 1,000
employees want to work from home one or two days a week.
In a bid to gather views on remote working and how the firm will return to
the office, an internal study was sent around the firm’s Europe, Middle East
and Asia (EMEA) offices last week; receiving over 1,600 responses.
Sources say only 12 per cent of EMEA staff are “very relaxed” about
returning to work, while 80 per cent have had a positive experience while
working from home.
For staff in countries where Covid-19 has been better contained, such as
Germany and in Asia, there is a higher percentage of individuals who are
more comfortable with returning to the office. In fact, only six per cent of
people working in these regions are “very cautious” about returning.
The survey is part of the firm’s broader plan to implement a gradual and
phased return to offices, with strict protocols and social distancing
adjustments already being prepared.

2. The list of potential safeguards so far includes temperature testing, the
provision of face masks, restricted access, limiting the number of people in
communal areas, increased hand sanitiser stations, and routine deep
cleaning of offices. All face-to-face meetings and business travel are also to
be avoided. Norton Rose Fulbright EMEA managing partner Peter Scott:
“There is no imminent prospect of going back to the way that we used
to operate any time soon. It’s a chance to look afresh at the business
that we are operating. This six to eight week period has very much
demonstrated to us that a more agile work arrangement is not only
possible by exception but it is entirely workable in practice.”
The firm has dismissed the implementation of a one-size-fits-all approach
and has instead created a risk matrix for each country based on two key
factors; one is how under control the virus is and the other is how long
peoples’ commutes are on public transport. A small number of people are
working in the City office out of choice. Says Scott:
“We don’t anticipate compelling people back at any time in the
foreseeable future. It is on a voluntary-attending office basis, even for
those that are rated green. We have no business imperative to get
people back into the office.”
Despite this, the firm has no immediate plans to downsize. A recent
configuration of the London office means that there are now more studios
made up of four desks, however, these will soon host just two employees
due to social distancing requirements.
It was during a firmwide zoom call with Scott last week that survey results
were conveyed to over 1200 employees, during which head of learning and
development Carolann Edwards also explained how virtual training will be
comprised of a series of international academies. These will be for both fee
earners and business services staff, allowing for modules to be done online
and replacing the old methods of flying people to a centre and doing them in
person.
Meanwhile, in terms of how to maintain an equal experience when
conducting virtual meetings in the future, it is possible that Norton Rose

3. staff will have to dial in for team meetings irrespective of whether they are
in the office or working from home.
Overall, Scott recognises that this latest period has been a significant
catalyst for change:
“What we are now presented with is a chance to change our operating
model over the next few months whereas before it would have taken
years. Our objective as a firm is to be part of the group that leads with
these changes in the way that the legal market evolves rather than
following others.”
Norton Rose Fulbright was the first firm to reveal it would once again ask
employees to work a four-day week to protect jobs, while also deferring the
payment of partner distributions and bonuses, as well as freezing salary
rises and bonus payments for staff. This was part of a stringent package of
measures put in place by newly-appointed EMEA managing partner Peter
Scott, who only officially started his new role on April 1, 2020.
Meanwhile, as the challenges mount up though, spare a thought for Bryan
Cave Leighton Paisner as it prepares to move into a completely new office. It
has, however, put together a five-stage plan of action to satisfy London staff
ahead of their arrival. Whenever that may be.
The firm has laid out how it intends to return to the office, having just
finalised a move to new City headquarters. The firm has assembled a UK
‘back to work taskforce’ led by global chief operating officer David Rowe that
comprises 14 staff members from departments such as HR, risk and
compliance, health and safety and lawyers from various practice teams.
The taskforce was set up three weeks ago and has been operating through
calls and Webex meetings ever since. The result of their planning is the
drafting of a global framework plan that will be applied to all offices in the
network, but will be in line with local requirements as the lockdown
measures start to ease globally.
The global framework is based on a five-stage return to the office. The first
stage reflects the current situation, with most of the firm’s headcount
working from home and access to the headquarters limited to critical staff

4. such as maintenance and security. Lawyers requesting access to pick up
crucial documents need signed approval.
The second phase involves a phased return to premises, with a small handful
of people rotating in colour-marked teams rotating every fortnight based on
practices and departments’ needs. As government guidance evolves, with
the reopening of other businesses such as restaurants and bars, the firm will
relax the measure further ahead of stage three.
This third step will see bigger rotas of employees and further relaxation of
initial measures. Employees will adopt a “one-way” flow to minimise the
risks of transmission. If used, meeting rooms will hold a limited number of
seats for participants, and so will happen with lifts.
Both the fourth and fifth phase refer to a gradual “new normal”, in which
social distancing requirements are a natural component of the workforce’s
daily life. However, as the firm is yet to enter stage two, it still does not
know how that will look as new measures are implemented and other
restrictions eased.
The plan was complicated by the fact that the London office of the merged
firm recently completed its move from its historic Adelaide House
headquarters to a 125,000-sq-ft office building at 5 Laurence Pountney Hill,
which is located between Cannon Street and Monument station. Without any
employee being able to set foot into the new space, the office has been
fitted out in an open plan layout. But firm HR says the coronavirus crisis has
not prompted any changes to the configuration of the office.
The duration and timeline of these stages is not yet defined as it depends on
factors that are currently out of management’s control. But HR expects some
measures to be in place for a long while. Density will be an issue as long as
social distancing is in place.
As part of a risk assessment exercise that is due to start soon and last for
the next three weeks, the firm will concoct specific security measures such
as providing face coverings to everyone entering the building. The taskforce
has presented the five-stage plan to the firm’s staff two weeks ago in a
series of remotely-held town halls. At the same time, the collective is holding

5. consultations with employees to know more about how people are managing
the current conditions, and to have a sense of their commuting routines and
appetite for return.
As it gears up for a reopening that now feels closer, the firm has also had to
implement tougher measures to face the financial consequences of Covid-19.
It has deferred the payment of certain portions of planned partner
distributions and made a 15 per cent salary reduction for its staff across the
international network for a period of 13 weeks starting next month.The
measure will not affect employees whose income is around £32,000 or
below.
In addition, the firm is offering other measures such as sabbaticals on 30 per
cent of employee’s regular salary and part-time work. The firm also
considered retention and workshare government options.
The cuts come as the firm reviewed roles earlier this year from within its
document production team in London, after deciding to outsource work to an
external provider. The team was made up of nearly 30 employees. Sources
say the roles will be outsourced to e-discovery company EPIQ, a US-
headquartered company with offices around the globe, although Epiq made
no comment on this. But it is known many e-discovery vendors are jocking
for similar deals.