b'Local Government Lawyer 3ContentsWelcome to the Local Government Lawyer Life after Lockdown 2022 report, published in association with LexisNexis.This report is based on research amongst 50 heads of legal and nearly 400 other lawyers at local authority legal departments. It follows on from similar research conducted by Local Government Lawyer and LexisNexis in 2020, shortly after the first Covid lockdown was eased.What is evident from comparing the two surveys is that, for most, the appetite for fully remote or hybrid working has actually increased during the two years since Covid forced everyone from their offices. Few local government lawyers relish a full-time return and many have already taken advantage of the opportunity to join new employers well beyond their pre-Covid geographical constraints.At a time when demand for and thep4, Home comfortssupply of experienced lawyers is so out ofAdam Carey looks at what the second Local Government Lawyer/LexisNexis Life after Lockdown survey balance, employers have little choice but toresults show and considers what they mean for the future working practices of local government lawyers post-comply with the demand for remote or hybridpandemic. working and the survey suggests that most will. Moreover, both staff and managementTopics covered by the survey include: have found that working from home hasProductivity during the pandemic.generally improved both lawyers productivityLawyers morale during the pandemic.and sense of well-being. Whether lawyers wish to continue working from home and to what extent.Yet while many (although not all) of theThe effect of the pandemic and working from home on the job market.immediate problems with remote working identified by local government lawyers inp12, A new order in court?2020 have been addressed to some extent,Should remote hearings have a permanent place in our court systems? Dylan Brown looks at the issues.the long-term effect of widespread remote and hybrid working, especially with regardp14, Get out of your siloto inexperienced and new staff, has yetDylan Brown considers how the public sector lawyer can embrace collaboration.to be fully realised and may cause some management headaches for years to come.We hope you find the report useful. Philip HoultEditor, Local Government LawyerLocal Government LawyerLocalgovernmentlawyer.co.ukEditor Publisher AdvertisingPhilip Hoult Derek Bedlow Kate Coynephilip.hoult@localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk derek.bedlow@localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk kate@localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk'