Allen and Overy Introduce Flexible Hours Aimed at Boosting Female Solicitors

Thu, 28 Jan 2010

Allen and Overy have become the first leading City law firm to introduce a scheme allowing its employees to work flexible hours. The scheme, which allows employees to take extended holidays and work four-day weeks, is aiming to combat the exodus of women from the legal industry. Law firms have been criticised in recent years for failing to adopt the working practices deployed in other large multinational companies.

It is estimated that women comprise just one in everyone nine partners at top law firms, while women are in the majority of junior levels. Allen and Overy hope that this new initiative can change that by allowing part-time partners to take up to 52 days extra leave for up to eight years, though their share of the firm’s profits will be adjusted pro rata.

Other ‘Magic Circle’ legal firms, such as Freshfields and Linklaters, have introduced flexible working schemes for their solicitors and lawyers, though none have been as wide-ranging as that of Allen and Overy.

An increasing number of women are entering the legal profession, with women accounting for 62 per cent of the firm’s graduate intake last year.
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