After a few years of forced remote working during the pandemic, attorneys are returning to the office at increasing rates, representing a notable shift since COVID-19 broke out in 2020, according to a new legal industry survey compiled by Gensler Research Institute.
For the U.S. Legal Workplace Survey 2025, researchers asked respondents about their work preferences, from working alone and working with others in person to working with others virtually. The results show that about 41% of lawyers prefer to work alone and that 25% are spending more time working with others in person. When broken down by role, partners seem to prefer remote work at a rate of 41% while 22% of partners aim to work alongside others in person.