A growing cohort of law firms have introduced formal agile working policies. Here’s a run-down of the firms that are have schemes in place or are thinking about implementing them.
Agile and flexible working: who’s doing what?
Addleshaw Goddard: Home working policy open to most staff and fee-earners across UK offices.
Ashurst: A range of flexible working options now available for both lawyers and non-legal staff, including working from home, working from client offices and 7am – 3pm working hours.
Baker McKenzie: Now offers flexible working to all staff
Berwin Cave Leighton Paisner: Agile working policies that currently vary by office.
BLM: Has introduced flexible working for staff in its London office
Capsticks: Most employees allowed to work from home a couple of days a week, while lawyers now hot desk.
Charles Russell Speechlys: Agile working policy allows fee earners and business services staff to work from home one day a week. A flexible working policy also exists to give staff the opportunity to request changes to their working hours, working days or place of work on a given day.
Clifford Chance: Partners are encouraged to work from home when possible.
DAC Beachcroft: Has made Leeds an ‘agile office’ where all lawyers hot-desk.
Dentons: UK partners, associates and legal executives are permitted to work from home one day a week on an informal basis.
DWF: Has various agile working policies.
Foot Anstey: Piloting a ‘warm-desking’ policy for 12 months.
Herbert Smith Freehills: Lawyers can work from home one day a week.
Hogan Lovells: Has a firmwide flexible working policy.
Macfarlanes: All lawyers have been able work from home for one day per fortnight from August 2016.
Mayer Brown: All fee earners and business services staff can work from home one day a week.
Mills & Reeve: Employees with 26 weeks continuous service can request a flexible working arrangement.
Mishcon de Reya: Managing partner Kevin Gold has told his lawyers they can work as many or as few days as they want.
Morgan Lewis: Associates can work remotely for up to two days per week.
Morton Fraser: Two-thirds of staff are engaged in agile working
Osborne Clarke: Employs hot-desking in its Reading office
Reed Smith: Looking to introduce agile working policies.
Schillings: Offering voluntary agile working to lawyers and staff (with the exception of paralegals, legal secretaries and client services staff) and suggests employees should come in two days per week
Shearman & Sterling: Has informal policy but reviewing its thinking on agile working for London lawyers after it introduced a policy to allow its US-based associates to work from home two days a month.
Shoosmiths: Has agile working in Reading office and aiming to roll out across network.
Slaughter and May: Trialled flexible working scheme in March 2016, now allow associates and partners to work from home one day per week.
Stephenson Harwood: Fee-earners will be entitled to take one day out of the office per week while support staff will be able to take one day per fortnight.
Travers Smith: Agile working is permitted, but no formal policy is in place: “it will be up to each individual to determine whether they are best served by working in the office or elsewhere.”
Wedlake Bell: ‘Experimenting’ with agile working.
White & Case: Agile working policy encourages staff to work remotely on an ad hoc basis, while a flexible working programme allows staff to have regular arrangements to work from home.
This a great step towards increased retention.