For most firms, remote legal work is here to stay.
Every day we hear a new passionate plea to return to the office, whether from a BigLaw partner or tech magnate. But even as we return to ‘business as normal,’ there’s no way to reinstate all the daily operations in place before the seismic shift of the 2020 pandemic.
The most eye-popping statistic from Filevine’s benchmark report shows that, with powerful cloud-based legal software at their disposal, legal professionals are able to carry out much of their work from anywhere.
4 out of 5 firms that use Filevine allow remote work.
81.5% of all survey respondents revealed that remote work is allowed at their firm. Of those who work remotely, half do so all the time. The other half are working within a hybrid model.
At a time when attracting and retaining talent is difficult, remote work is one of the most sought-after perks. According to a recent McKinsey survey, 87% of workers want to work remotely at least some of the time. Only 13% prefer to always work in an office.
The SHRM Research Institute found that requiring onsite work can require ratcheting up wages. Respondents said they would consider pursuing or remaining in a fully-onsite job for an annual raise of:
- 20% with a 30-minute commute.
- 15% with a 15-minute commute.
- 10% for a hybrid job with a 30-minute commute.
In this context, a cloud-based legal tech stack is crucial infrastructure for firms that want to attract top talent and keep workers happy.
As we outlined in our No-Panic Guide to Remote Legal Work, every firm has a distinctive culture and unique needs. There is no single remote work model that will work for all. But with the right case management software and communication tools, firms can be free to seek out the process and balance that works best for them and their clients.
Filevine works great with Lawfirms operating in either a hybrid or remote schedule, You can read more about our features that make remote legal operations, simpler.
Digging Deeper Into The Numbers
But the new benchmark report goes beyond remote work. Some of the biggest insights come in the way firms are responding to economic uncertainty. Check out the report to see where firms are raising their rates and where they’re expanding practice areas in search of new growth.
You can also see how average Filevine users from different practice areas engage with their legal case management software and other legal technology. How many legal documents do they deal with? How many cases do they engage with on a daily basis? How many tasks do they complete on average each day? You can look at your own data and see how it compares with others.
The benchmark report makes a resounding case for the value of cloud-based legal software in a world where workers demand greater flexibility, legal matters are growing in complexity, and productivity is at a premium.
The benchmark report was released at the recent LEX Summit user conference. To read other big revelations from the premier gathering, including brand new feature releases, check out these Top 10 Moments from LEX Summit or talk with your Filevine representative.