Because the partners are certainly keen
Lawyers from leading firms have chipped in following a LinkedIn post sharing the rumour that a supermarket client makes partners work a shift on the shop floor.
Chris Lee, a real estate lawyer who trained and qualified into a global firm, wrote on the social media site:
“I was once told that a big UK supermarket makes every law firm on its panel send a partner to do one shift a year on the shop floor. To date I’ve never been able to verify this and it may well be apocryphal, but I really want it to be true and for more companies to adopt the concept, because I think it’s a brilliant idea.”
The post has sparked numerous comments from top lawyers.
Vinod Bange, partner at international firm Baker McKenzie, commented: “I can confirm — (I wasnt a partner at the time) but I did a shift at the Distribution Centre of a supermarket client where I was seconded and partners also helped at a local store during Christmas peak days (stocking shelves and packing bags at POS)”.
Former Pinsent Masons solicitor Matt Peacock also provided some verification: “Both Tesco and ASDA did this from recollection (and that was 15 years ago). Wasn’t just shop floor, also warehousing etc. Think the inhouse teams also joined in so became a great opportunity to talk (legal) shop whilst walking a day in the shoes of [supermarket employees].”
If this practice has lapsed, it would seem there’s room for a comeback.
Eversheds Sutherland partner Dave Hughes wrote: “I would love this, its a great idea. My time working on a checkout in a supermarket back at home was something I really enjoyed (and learned a lot from!)”.
Taylor Wessing partner Martin Dowdall noted: “I would genuinely be well up for something like that. I did once act for a PL football club. Sadly, I was never asked to fill in at left-back for them.”
Not everyone saw the supermarket shift as a positive, though.
James Allen, an Ashurst lawyer turned mediator, wrote: “Let’s all go see what the plebs do… One shift a year would teach nothing at all. It would, however, feel very condescending for those who have to do that job day in day out[.] Yes, sounds like just the sort of thing a law firm Partner would do 😁”.
But could supermarkets afford such highly remunerated staff?
Jon Baines, a senior data protection specialist at Mishcon de Reya, took the opportunity to poke fun at the exorbitant legal fees some firms charge clients for partner time, which Legal Cheek reported on recently: “At average partner rates, and even allowing for discounts that might be negotiated, I’d estimate that that would cost the supermarket between £5k and £10k for each instance”. Maybe the Premier League would be a better match after all.
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