Law Firm Leaders to Corporate Clients: Help Us Implement Flex Time

Law firm leaders are looking to their clients for affirmation that flex-time and part-time programs aren’t a liability.

At a meeting sponsored by the Project for Attorney Retention, top law firm managers talked about fears that their in-house clients view flex- and part-time lawyers as a threat to responsiveness or availability, the National Law Journal reports.

The leaders said corporate general counsel could help alleviate that fear by asking about the programs when hiring law firms or asking them to submit proposals. The in-house lawyers could also give firms positive feedback when the programs are working, according to the leaders. Seven law firm chairmen and one law firm chief executive attended the meeting, along with seven general counsel.

General counsel responded that law firms should be more up-front about their flex-time programs, the NLJ story says. "The partners should not be saying to the associates 'don't let them know' " about the programs, said Del Monte Foods Co. general counsel James Potter. "It's difficult to reinforce a program when you don't know who's using it."