Clifford Chance to monitor lawyers’ office attendance

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By Rhys Duncan on

12

Follows Slaughter and May


Magic Circle law firm Clifford Chance is set to begin monitoring its lawyers’ office attendance.

The firm, which has confirmed that it will be reviewing attendance data from 1 February onwards, is following in the footsteps of fellow Magic Circle outfit Slaughter and May which already has a similar monitoring policy in place.

Post Covid-19, CC’s staff are expected to spend at least 50% of their time in the office over a two week period.

This is one of the more flexible hybrid working policies in place across the City, with the London offices of many US outfits mandating a minimum of four days a week in the office.

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Clifford Chance is currently headquartered in Canary Wharf but is set to relocate to 2 Aldermanbury Square in the City once its lease expires in 2028.

A spokesperson for firm said that, “we regularly review our approach to hybrid working and continue to believe that our current UK policy in of working from the office at least 50% over a two week period is right for our business, our clients and people”.

“We know from our own experience and employee feedback that when consistently applied, our hybrid working policy provides our people a greater opportunity to learn, develop and collaborate with colleagues and clients thereby supporting our growth ambitions and enhancing the culture of the firm,” the spokerson continued.

They added, “to help our managers better understand and support their team’s adherence to our hybrid working policy, from 1st February 2024, the firm will start to review data of individual attendance in London and Newcastle”.

12 Comments

Anon

Not very smart. Allowing WFH is a low cost way of helping retention when paying much less than US firms. Same applies to in house, flexibility compensates for low salaries.

Djed

Yet another example of why you’re getting absolutely finessed if you’re working at an MC firm because there is no draw to working there besides ‘prestige’. You can work at a US firm for more money on the same/similar hours or you can go SC/mid-sized/in-house for better work-life balance. Even the prestige point is suspect in itself…

CC Insider

You mean the US firms that expect a minimum of 4-5 days in office AND almost always make you work over your holidays?

Actual MC Insider

We’re already made to work late nights and weekends, the difference is we’re getting paid peanuts for it by comparison because our bills can apparently be paid with ‘prestige’

CC Insider

The fact you keep talking about ‘prestige’ – a term pretty much only used on Legal Cheek – suggests you’re a student and not an ‘Actual MC Insider’. Yes, you work nights and weekend as most lawyers do, including many silver circle and General Counsel. I know someone at a high street firm who works late most evenings for goodness sake, and I had a mate get called back to work from his honeymoon at a US firm…

Sorry but you’re a bit deluded if you think the hours and expectations are similar in MC and US [transactional] teams just because you’ve seen people who think they know what they’re on about say so. Many US Firms expect at least 200-250+ hours a year extra, not including the non-billable work where they get less BP support and so spend more time on investment and admin work.

Cessle

Didn’t you choose to join the firm or did somebody force you sign-up? You can always leave

K

“Work life balance” is incredibly subjective across every sector. So many people who work 9-5 (& who never take any work home) do absolutely nothing with all their free time. So many folk who work “long hours” have incredibly fulfilling lives outside work. So much of it is about individual mentality.

womp womp

damn it’s so incredibly draconian that a law firm paying its lawyers comfortably into the six figures at the age of 24 expects them to show up to the office 50% of the time.

couldn’t be me

Alan

How could anyone with nothing to hide be annoyed at being monitored on their compliance with reasonable rules laid down by their employer? 50% over two weeks is more than enough time for those who genuinely want to work. Anyone who objects should be fired, plain and simple as they are undoubtedly malingering.

Anon

You are malingering the most judging by the amount of time you spend leaving legal cheek posts

Anon

Alan strikes again

D

What in the big brother is going on here?

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