By James Boyle
This article was originally published in Law360 on August 6, 2021, 3:23 PM EDT.
Law360 (August 6, 2021, 3:23 PM EDT) -- A new survey launched by a consulting company in the Philadelphia suburbs is gathering data to better prepare law firms for a future when the office hybrid models used during the pandemic will become standard operating procedure.
Mattern & Associates, based in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, sent out its 2021 Cost Recovery and Hybrid Law Firm Operations Survey to law firms nationwide, asking participants how they recover the costs for the new hybrid work environments.
Law firms around the country scrambled last year to keep their operations running as the pandemic forced everybody to work from home. They quickly adapted to the new normal, and many even thrived for the last year and-a-half.
As the firms start to return to the office, several have made work-from-home options part of their ongoing models. The question Mattern wants answered is how they will recoup their costs. Overhead, or backroom, expenses at the office may decrease, but more money may have to go toward cybersecurity and other virtual systems.
The five-minute, seven-question survey will be available for submissions until Aug. 15. Only participants will receive the full results.
Robert Mattern, president of Mattern & Associates, spoke with Law360 Pulse about creating the survey and what he hopes to gain from the data. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
To view the article on Law360, click here.
