Spencer Fane Chair Patrick J. Whalen recently spoke with The American Lawyer reporter Andrew Maloney for an article in which he shared his leadership approach toward attorney and staff engagement.
The article – In the Era of Disengagement, How Do Law Firms Motivate Lawyers and Staff? – featured the perspective of multiple law firm leaders who are navigating solutions for professional disengagement and motivation in Big Law’s post-pandemic work culture.
Speaking once more about the value of the Spencer Fane hybrid work environment, Pat explained how “giving his workforce a little extra autonomy on where they work is driving better engagement.”
“Literally within the same office, we might have a team that’s in five days a week, and we might have a team that’s in a couple of days a week,” he said. While noting the approach is still being refined, he added that it results in “a more organic presence, on more days.”
This support of workforce autonomy, combined with a commitment to retaining top talent and ensuring a diverse and equitable culture, has helped Spencer Fane move up the AmLaw 200 and remain the fastest-growing law firm by revenue. It has also contributed to the firm’s retention of top talent across its platform, an outcome which contributed to Law360 recognizing Spencer Fane as one of the top five firms in the nation for lawyer satisfaction in 2022.
