RMN'S Blog

Quinn Emanuel Says “Why Not Work from the Beach?”

Date: February 05, 2014

What are the perks of being a young associate with aspirations to become a successful attorney? Most people would think a bonus is a sufficient perk of joining a law firm. Lately, associates have begun to want more for the work they put in, and town law firms are offering a great package for their employees.

Quinn Emanuel is paying their associates to work from the beach. The owner, John Quinn, is outdoing his competitors and making sure the associates at his firm are comfortable, happy and well relaxed. In a recent email sent out by Quinn, he stated (in lower case letters),

“its january and its dreary in most places of the qe world, and next month it will be february, and then march, promising more of the same. hard working qe lawyers need a break for sure. so we are introducing a new program. we haven’t really come up with a cool name for it yet— maybe ‘qe work away week’? the idea is:

the firm will give associate $2k to go work anywhere in the world they want to work for one week. 

there must be 24/7 connectivity wherever you go. you must be available at all the hours you would be available if you were in your home office . . .  and we expect that you will be working, just as if you were in manhattan, paris or wherever, even if u are wearing a bathing suit. we need to know how to reach you at all times, instantly. partners may or may not go–it depends how cool the places are that you pick.”

Despite the many requirements, this is still a great deal for any associate. Working while on the beaches of Croatia or drinking coffee in a far off cafe in Thailand is always appealing even if you have to be an effective, hardworking employee.
If you owned a law firm, what types of perks would you give your associates? Would you be as amiable as Quinn Emanuel?