According to Linklaters, “fexibility, mobility and diversity” is at the heart of the magic circle firm’s people strategy and is shaping the way the firm assists associates in developing their careers.
Jill King, the magic circle firm’s HR director, says that the strategy is about getting associates to work with a global mindset. This year the push resulted in 300 associates taking on cross-border secondments.
However, this international focus has resulted in Linklaters mainly promoting senior associates outside of London. Almost two-thirds of this year’s 38 promotions were based outside of the City.
Linklaters has promoted more than 130 associates to the partnership in the past four years and introduced an alternative management level of ‘counsel’ to aid retention.
With retention being a key focus, Linklaters has also introduced a ‘time bank’, where associates who hit a 90 per cent performance target in one term can apply for a day off in lieu.
These changes make up part of what Linklaters dubs ‘The Deal’. King claims: “The Deal isn’t about work-life balance, it’s about ensuring that people get the best they possibly can from the job.”
Diversity
Noble intentions – but how diverse are the promotees (e.g. the 130 new partners or those appointed to ‘counsel’ ? Thinking ‘global’ is sound – but this is meaningless if the ‘pool’ remains non reflective of the global make up!