Linklaters Big ‘Agile Working’ Move – Offering All Its Legal Secretaries & PAs Voluntary Redundancy

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the legal profession like every other business, but some law firms are taking the whole work-from-home trend a step further

Linklaters is one of the world’s largest firms, with over $2 bn in gross billings and making it in the top ranks of the world’s largest law firms. It has also come through the COVID-19 pandemic in remarkable shape, like a large number of Big Law and small law firms.

It has now taken to the ‘agile work’ policy by announcing a remote work policy, saying how well it had worked for the firm, to the point where it will become a permanent fixture for the firm.

Linklaters announced their permanent 50 percent remote work policy,saying that remote working “worked remarkably well” and that employees were able to “deliver high-quality work whilst working remotely.”

Next the firm wants to offer redundancies, or voluntary buyouts, of its 225 secretaries and business team personal assistants in London as reported by CityAM.

It is understood there will be no compulsory redundancies, nor are there targets or plans to make redundancies at the firm compulsory.
Linklaters Announcement

Linklaters said: “This is a voluntary programme which we are offering as we continue to focus on innovative ways of working and shaping our secretarial teams to support a more agile working policy for the longer term.” Severance packages will be offered to all secretaries who accept the buyout.”

While COVID-19 has created hardship and layoffs, it appears to also hastened into being the deployment of often radical new forms of law firm management that herald a new future for the way law firms operate.