The study provides valuable insights into how lawyers at major law firms perceive the advantages and disadvantages of working from home, as well as the extent of their use of various videoconferencing platforms in their professional lives. Data is presented separately for use of Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. In addition, the report gives detailed data on the extent of interactions with clients and -- in a separate data set -- with coworkers -- that are conducted via videoconferencing rather than in person. Respondents also evaluate the direction their firms’ are going regarding work from home and general videoconferencing use. The report's readers can benchmark their use of work-from-home, and general videoconferencing strategy, with a data set derived from major law firms, which are listed in an appendix. In addition, survey participants evaluate the impact of videoconferencing and working from home on their personal productivity, providing critical data and insights for law firms struggling with these issues and technologies.
More than 50 tables of data in the report are based on a survey of 248 lawyers exclusively from major law firms in the USA. Data is presented in the aggregate and broken down by age, work title, gender, legal field or specialty, firm size and other variables. Just a few of this 60-page report's many findings are:
- 37.5% of respondents believed they were as productive, while 33.47% believed that they were more productive and 24.6% less productive when working from home, compared to working in the office.
- 87.90% of respondents use Zoom in their professional lives, and lawyers specializing in Personal Injury/Tort and Regulatory/Healthcare law had a 100% usage rate, while White Collar defense lawyers had the lowest rate at 66.67%.
- Male respondents were more likely than female respondents to report that their firms were moving towards more work from home rather than less.
- For the entire sample, a mean of 80.74% of all interactions with clients and outside collaborators were conducted via videoconferencing rather than in person.
Table of Contents
THE QUESTIONNAIRE
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SAMPLE
- Institutional Affiliations of the Survey Participants
SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS
- Lawyers’ Characterization of their Firm’s Work from Home Policies
- Percentage of Work Time Spent Working from Home
- Assessment of Personal Productivity Working at Home Vs. Working in the Office
- Views on the General Direction of Changes in Law Firm Policies on Work from Home
- Use of Zoom
- Use of Microsoft Teams
- Use of Google Meet
- Use of WebEx
- Percentage of Interactions with Clients or Outside Collaborators that are Conducted Via Videoconferencing Rather than In-Person
- Percentage of Interactions with Attorneys or Support Staff Within One’s Own Organization that are Conducted Via Videoconferencing Vs. In-Person
LIST OF TABLES
- Table 1.1 Which phrase best describes your employers policies regarding work from home?
- Table 1.2 Which phrase best describes your employers policies regarding work from home? Broken out by predominant legal field
- Table 1.3 Which phrase best describes your employers policies regarding work from home? Broken out by age of respondent
- Table 1.4 Which phrase best describes your employers policies regarding work from home? Broken out by gender of respondent
- Table 1.5 Which phrase best describes your employers policies regarding work from home? Broken out by size of law firm
- Table 1.6 Which phrase best describes your employers policies regarding work from home? Broken out by work title
- Table 1.7 Which phrase best describes your employers policies regarding work from home? Broken out by political views
- Table 1.8 Which phrase best describes your employers policies regarding work from home? Broken out by assessment of law school
- Table 2.1 How much of your work time is spent working from home or another non-office convenient location chosen for proximity to your home? (such as a coffee shop) % of Total Work Time
- Table 2.2 How much of your work time is spent working from home or another non-office convenient location chosen for proximity to your home? (such as a coffee shop) Broken out by predominant legal field
- Table 2.3 How much of your work time is spent working from home or another non-office convenient location chosen for proximity to your home? (such as a coffee shop) Broken out by age of respondent
- Table 2.4 How much of your work time is spent working from home or another non-office convenient location chosen for proximity to your home? (such as a coffee shop) Broken out by gender of respondent
- Table 2.5 How much of your work time is spent working from home or another non-office convenient location chosen for proximity to your home? (such as a coffee shop) Broken out by size of law firm
- Table 2.6 How much of your work time is spent working from home or another non-office convenient location chosen for proximity to your home? (such as a coffee shop) Broken out by work title
- Table 2.7 How much of your work time is spent working from home or another non-office convenient location chosen for proximity to your home? (such as a coffee shop) Broken out by political views
- Table 2.8 How much of your work time is spent working from home or another non-office convenient location chosen for proximity to your home? (such as a coffee shop) Broken out by assessment of law school
- Table 3.1 In your view, in most typical circumstances working from home, and excluding circumstances which often preclude online participation, such as court appearances, are you generally as productive, more productive or less productive than when you work in an office?
- Table 3.2 In your view, in most typical circumstances working from home, and excluding circumstances which often preclude online participation, such as court appearances, are you generally as productive, more productive or less productive than when you work in an office? Broken out by predominant legal field
- Table 3.3 In your view, in most typical circumstances working from home, and excluding circumstances which often preclude online participation, such as court appearances, are you generally as productive, more productive or less productive than when you work in an office? Broken out by age of respondent
- Table 3.4 In your view, in most typical circumstances working from home, and excluding circumstances which often preclude online participation, such as court appearances, are you generally as productive, more productive or less productive than when you work in an office? Broken out by gender of respondent
- Table 3.5 In your view, in most typical circumstances working from home, and excluding circumstances which often preclude online participation, such as court appearances, are you generally as productive, more productive or less productive than when you work in an office? Broken out by size of law firm
- Table 3.6 In your view, in most typical circumstances working from home, and excluding circumstances which often preclude online participation, such as court appearances, are you generally as productive, more productive or less productive than when you work in an office? Broken out by work title
- Table 3.7 In your view, in most typical circumstances working from home, and excluding circumstances which often preclude online participation, such as court appearances, are you generally as productive, more productive or less productive than when you work in an office? Broken out by political views
- Table 3.8 In your view. in most typical circumstances working from home. and excluding circumstances which often preclude online participation. such as court appearances. are you generally as productive, more productive or less productive than when you work in an office? Broken out by assessment of law school
- Table 4.1 The general drift at your employer is now towards more work from home for employees, less work from home, or no change?
- Table 4.2 The general drift at your employer is now towards more work from home for employees, less work from home, or no change? Broken out by predominant legal field
- Table 4.3 The general drift at your employer is now towards more work from home for employees, less work from home, or no change? Broken out by age of respondent
- Table 4.4 The general drift at your employer is now towards more work from home for employees, less work from home, or no change? Broken out by gender of respondent
- Table 4.5 The general drift at your employer is now towards more work from home for employees, less work from home, or no change? Broken out by size of law firm
- Table 4.6 The general drift at your employer is now towards more work from home for employees, less work from home, or no change? Broken out by work title
- Table 4.7 The general drift at your employer is now towards more work from home for employees, less work from home, or no change? Broken out by political views
- Table 4.8 The general drift at your employer is now towards more work from home for employees, less work from home, or no change? Broken out by assessment of law school
- Table 5 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life?
- Table 5.1.1 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Zoom
- Table 5.1.2 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Zoom Broken out by predominant legal field
- Table 5.1.3 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Zoom Broken out by age of respondent
- Table 5.1.4 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Zoom Broken out by gender of respondent
- Table 5.1.5 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Zoom Broken out by size of law firm
- Table 5.1.6 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Zoom Broken out by work title
- Table 5.1.7 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Zoom Broken out by political views
- Table 5.1.8 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Zoom Broken out by assessment of law school
- Table 5.2.1 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Microsoft Teams
- Table 5.2.2 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Teams Broken out by predominant legal field
- Table 5.2.3 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Teams Broken out by age of respondent
- Table 5.2.4 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Teams Broken out by gender of respondent
- Table 5.2.5 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Teams Broken out by size of law firm
- Table 5.2.6 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Teams Broken out by work title
- Table 5.2.7 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Teams Broken out by political views
- Table 5.2.8 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Teams Broken out by assessment of law school
- Table 5.3.1 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Google Meet
- Table 5.3.2 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Google Meet Broken out by predominant legal field
- Table 5.3.3 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Google Meet Broken out by age of respondent
- Table 5.3.4 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Google Meet Broken out by gender of respondent
- Table 5.3.5 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Google Meet Broken out by size of law firm
- Table 5.3.6 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Google Meet Broken out by work title
- Table 5.3.7 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Google Meet Broken out by political views
- Table 5.3.8 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? Google Meet Broken out by assessment of law school
- Table 5.4.1 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? WebEx
- Table 5.4.2 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? WebEx Broken out by predominant legal field
- Table 5.4.3 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? WebEx Broken out by age of respondent
- Table 5.4.4 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? WebEx Broken out by gender of respondent
- Table 5.4.5 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? WebEx Broken out by size of law firm
- Table 5.4.6 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? WebEx Broken out by work title
- Table 5.4.7 Do you useny of the following applications in your professional life? WebEx Broken out by political views
- Table 5.4.8 Do you use any of the following applications in your professional life? WebEx Broken out by assessment of law school
- Table 6.1 What percentage of your interactions with clients or outside collaborators are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person?
- Table 6.2 What percentage of your interactions with clients or outside collaborators are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by predominant legal field
- Table 6.3 What percentage of your interactions with clients or outside collaborators are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by age of respondent
- Table 6.4 What percentage of your interactions with clients or outside collaborators are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by gender of respondent
- Table 6.5 What percentage of your interactions with clients or outside collaborators are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by size of law firm
- Table 6.6 What percentage of your interactions with clients or outside collaborators are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by work title
- Table 6.7 What percentage of your interactions with clients or outside collaborators are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by political views
- Table 6.8 What percentage of your interactions with clients or outside collaborators are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by assessment of law school
- Table 7.1 What percentage of your interactions with other attorneys or support staff in your organization are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person?
- Table 7.2 What percentage of your interactions with other attorneys or support staff in your organization are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by predominant legal field
- Table 7.3 What percentage of your interactions with other attorneys or support staff in your organization are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by age of respondent
- Table 7.4 What percentage of your interactions with other attorneys or support staff in your organization are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by gender of respondent
- Table 7.5 What percentage of your interactions with other attorneys or support staff in your organization are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by size of law firm
- Table 7.6 What percentage of your interactions with other attorneys or support staff in your organization are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by work title
- Table 7.7 What percentage of your interactions with other attorneys or support staff in your organization are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by political views
- Table 7.8 What percentage of your interactions with other attorneys or support staff in your organization are conducted via a videoconferencing application rather than in-person? Broken out by assessment of law school
Methodology
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