When people think of law firm perks, they usually think of unlimited vacation or
programs that let associates work from home. Kirkland & Ellis is high on its concierge service as its killer perk. The service, run by Circles by Sodexo, allows associates to work with a full-time concierge for free.
It certainly sounds like a time-saver to have someone running errands for busy attorneys. That used to be a job that administrative professionals could do, but as firms have slashed their staff rosters in an effort to squeeze even more profit out of the enterprise, it’s a task that’s getting outsourced.
“It’s great that companies are acknowledging that employees want to both work hard and maximize their time at work and have stress-free fun and maximize their time outside of work,” [K&E’s Samuel Zaertsky] says. “On-site concierge services enhance both worlds.”
And that’s just it, isn’t it? This is less of a perk than a passive-aggressive effort to remove any possible excuse an associate might have not to be at their desk at any given moment. This is one of those gifts that’s really more for the gift-giver than the receiver. Still, the service does free up a lot of time for people if they know how to use it. Let’s check out some of the services they’ve been using it on:
One attorney was away from home on his daughter’s third birthday, working on a trial. He requested a specific bicycle for her gift. The concierge bought it, arranged for it to be assembled, and delivered it on on her birthday.
This is going to be a terrific story for this little girl to tell her therapist someday about why she’s unable to love. On the other hand, this process produced a more sturdy bicycle than entrusting a lawyer with a screwdriver would.
The concierge also found a Christmas tree for an attorney who was visiting friends in London and had it delivered to the apartment door, along with a Christmas tree stand.
Nothing really expresses the Chirstmas spirit quite like having a stranger buy you a tree and unceremoniously drop it on the doorstep.
Another attorney asked the concierge to buy two pairs of dog booties for her two dogs. After extensive research, the Kirkland concierge found a store that still had dog booties in stock in the middle of a winter storm.
So poor Bob Cratchit just wants to go home, but Elle Woods here had him trudging through a blizzard to buy shoes for whatever perversion of evolution rat dogs she keeps around the house to replace human connections.
Kirkland & Ellis is in real trouble if the guillotines return.
This Is What Happens When Lawyers Get A Concierge [Forbes]
Kirkland & Ellis lawyer uses firm’s concierge service to buy shoes for her dogs [Legal Cheek]
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.