If even law firms are embracing flexible working, then things really have changed

Law firms are generally considered to be among the most cautious and conservative of business operators. So when a corporate law firm such as William Fry embraces the world of flexible working, it is a sign things really have changed in the world of work and they won’t be changing back anytime soon.

William Fry has launched two new flexible working divisions to recruit to its roster lawyers who do not want to work the typical nine-to-five, Monday to Friday (which for many top-tier lawyers is probably more like eight-to-eight with a slew of contact to contend with over the weekend).

The firm’s PeopleBridge initiative will draft in lawyers who do not already work for the firm, vet them, and place them inside its client businesses on temporary assignments. Perhaps a company has been hit with a tax audit and needs a lawyer on site to hold its executives by the hand, or maybe it is contemplating a merger and needs specialist advice in the room.

The other new division, William Fry Connect, will see it build up a list of, effectively, legal freelancers – lawyers who are good enough to advise the firm’s corporate clients, but who do not want to be bound by a typical contract and want to work when they choose.

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Both initiatives are targeted at lawyers who want flexibility – returning emigrants who are not quite sure what to do yet; parents of young children dipping their toe back into practice; lawyers nearing the end of their careers who want to pick and choose projects and when they work. If William Fry has taken such a plunge, other firms are bound to follow suit.

Not only are professional services outfits such as law firms instituting flexible working for their existing staff, they have also realised that if they are to expand their workforces with new talent, the option must be on the table from the start. Research conducted by recruitment agencies shows flexible working options are high on the list for job hunters at the moment. It is a job mover’s market in the professions and employers will have to follow on the issue of flexible working, as well as lead.