In some ways, “normal” is returning to Big Law life. Associate salary wars are raging, offices are beginning to buzz again and courts are re-opening.

But in other crucial ways, it’s anything but business as usual. The last 18 months have changed industry practices in fundamental ways. One of the biggest and lasting changes may be the pressure firms feel to communicate their values to clients, colleagues and communities. The injustices exposed during the pandemic, along with a hyper-politicized election season, forced a reckoning that firm leaders could not ignore. Their colleagues and clients simply would not let them.