Biglaw

Fewer Biglaw Firms Are Offering Paid Time Off To Encourage Voting, Volunteering During Election 2024

No matter what your firm is doing, please do your civic duty and vote in today's election. Your vote matters!

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Vote Ballot Box

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Today is the presidential election, and as always, it remains incredibly important for Biglaw firms to do their best to not only make sure their employees perform their civic duty and vote, but also to volunteer to help others do the same. Back in 2020, many Am Law 100 and 200 firms made commitments to do just that, announcing that Election Day would be a paid civic holiday — but this year, far fewer firms are offering paid time off to vote. In fact, we know of only one firm that has actively publicized that it was offering a paid day off on Election Day.

That firm, Mintz, is in the minority in 2024 when it comes to offering paid time off for employees to vote. Firms that were vocal about voter participation in Election 2020 have quieted down significantly this year. The American Lawyer has additional information:

Several law firms that gave full days off for their attorneys and staff for voting and Election Day activities in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, didn’t confirm whether they were doing so again this year. Representatives for many other firms also didn’t respond to messages for comment on whether they were giving staff and employees a full day off, beyond what is required by state and local governments.

Overall, Law.com reached out to 15 Big Law firms to see what they were doing to make voting more accessible. Representatives from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Debevoise & Plimpton; Hogan Lovells; and Davis, Polk & Wardwell responded, noting their firms would allow personnel time off for voting, with most adhering to the law in New York and other states that mandate two hours of PTO on Election Day to vote.

Four years ago, Hogan Lovells made Election Day a paid holiday for employees. This year, the firm is offering employees “two hours at either the beginning of, or end of, the day to vote.” Other firms that gave employees the day off to vote and volunteer in 2020 — including Orrick, Jenner & Block, and Akin Gump — did not respond to messages from Am Law seeking comment on their 2024 Election Day plans. Only when asked about the firm’s plans did Fenwick & West, which gave employees paid time off for Election 2020, note that it is doing the same thing for Election 2024.

It’s certainly disheartening that Biglaw firms aren’t throwing their full weight behind the importance of voting and volunteering for the 2024 election when so much is at stake. If you haven’t voted already, please make sure that you have a plan to vote before polls close today.

If your firm is giving time off for Election Day or otherwise supporting voting rights, let us know. Our vast network of tipsters is part of what makes Above the Law thrive. You can email us or text us (646-820-8477).

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Fewer Big Law Firms Give Full PTO This Election Day [American Lawyer]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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