Social Justice & Diversity

Black Lawyers Who Thrived Remotely Agonize Over Return to Office

March 30, 2022, 5:30 AM

• Black attorneys say they were judged on merits during remote work
• Return to office poses difficult career decision for diverse attorneys

Gabriel Yomi Dabiri, a Black lawyer, says that for many of the diverse attorneys he mentors, remote work during the pandemic was the first time they felt judged solely on their merits.

“I’ve heard that they felt like they’re in scenarios where they’re submitting work and being judged solely on the work and whatever kind of anchor that had been holding them back by virtue of race is not necessarily present in a remote environment,” said Dabiri, the office managing partner of Polsinelli PC’s New York City office.

Lawyers of color who spoke to Bloomberg Law worry that advantage could disappear as law firms begin urging employees to return to the office. For some, it poses a daunting decision: should they sacrifice comfort to go back to the office and get facetime with partners or continue to work from home and potentially miss out on career advancement.

“I just don’t know how it will affect my career yet,” said Savir Punia, a Big Law associate.

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To contact the reporter on this story: Ayanna Alexander in Washington at aalexander@bloomberglaw.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Meghashyam Mali at mmali@bloombergindustry.com; Andrew Childers at achilders@bloomberglaw.com