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Shearman gives London staff, including trainees, option to work remotely for whole of August

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Hopes to encourage productivity and support wellbeing

US outfit Shearman & Sterling is giving all its London staff the option to work remotely for the entire month of August.

The remote option includes trainees and follows an internal survey carried out by the firm into its working policies. Shearman currently operates a hybrid working model where lawyers spend at least three days-a-week in the office.

Matthew Readings, head of Shearman’s London office, said: “We are implementing this initiative to encourage productivity and support the wellbeing of our most important asset, our people. New working practices have been formalised over the past few months and hybrid and remote working are now commonplace within the legal industry and many others. During the pandemic all of our people demonstrated they could continue to meet client service expectations whilst working remotely.”

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He added:

“We, like so many firms, see value in being in the office together regularly, while also being able to provide our people more flexibility.”

According to the responses to Legal Cheek’s annual Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey, it appears that three days working in the office is becoming a fairly common practice.

But some firms have gone even further. RPC, for example, has told lawyers and staff they can work from home permanently so long as this doesn’t impact on client service and collaborating with colleagues.

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19 Comments

Anonymous

Meanwhile Eversheds are about to ask everybody to go into the office three times a week instead of two. Been hinting at it for months now.

(13)(18)

Read the article

That’s the same model Shearman are running. They’re just suspending that for August.

(9)(0)

Anon

Shearman require 3 days too – most firms do.

(19)(0)

jdorifjrhrkdocjbejwowicjrnrhridicuejrbtkdoeiuwhwjebrjrkficuuwkwlpdofiiehrvrjeoifurjrh Smith

Christ, the horror of being asked to go to the place your employment contract says you work!

(55)(29)

Alan

Exactly. Typical whining millennials, wanting to be wrapped in cotton wool. Get in the real world.

(4)(18)

Anon

Isn’t 3 times a week in the office standard practice now?

(34)(6)

Nice

Great initiative 👏 hopefully becomes london standard. Other European cities are much more stuck in the past. Paris is strictly no work from home.

(43)(2)

bumbling brexiteer

Yes, down with those backwaters European cities and their old-fashioned ways. With our newfound sovrentee, we can begin regulatory divergence and make WFH the standard!

(0)(0)

Anonymous

The article mentions all staff but mainly refers to lawyers only. Are PAs included and given the option to work remotely?

(4)(4)

Kirsty

Yes, it applies to everyone in the London office regardless of role.

(0)(0)

Anonymous

why is this news? LC give us info on the silver circle pay war rumours

(19)(1)

Anonymous

Hogan Lovells just raised the NQ salary to half a milli!

(47)(1)

Rash

Common practice is two days in the office, more than this you might as well go full time.

(0)(2)

Today you learned

I think you’ll find that London is currently full of TWATs : Tuesday Wednesday and Thursdayers.

(8)(0)

Anon

I can’t help but worry about the development of junior lawyers/trainees if WFH happens TOO often… How will firms ensure they are still receiving the proper support and oversight?

(10)(7)

Na but seriously maybe idk

Learning by osmosis blah blah blah

(1)(0)

Of counsel

I confirmed to myself that I am going to take all of August off. Which is nice.

(5)(0)

Finn

Paris may be no WFH but they take August off anyway…nice 😎👍

(4)(0)

Anonymous

From what I gather, a significant number of trainees won’t be coming back after August, and it’s not because the firm wasn’t hiring NQs.

(3)(0)

Comments are closed.

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