A leading law firm has announced plans to allow its staff in Britain and Ireland to choose between three types of working in future, according to the Law Society Gazette of England and Wales.

International firm DAC Beachcroft will offer each of its 2,500 staff a choice between office-focused work, fully flexible working, or a hybrid of the two.

The Gazette says that the new approach, known as Flex Forward, was proposed after surveys with staff and clients. It enables workers to ‘glide’ their time, as core hours will be relaxed and staff will be able to flex their hours across the day and week.

Step change

DAC Beachcroft’s managing partner David Pollitt said the firm had worked in an agile way for some time, but the experience of the last year showed that more could be done.

“This step change we are introducing is not just about where people are working, but when and how,” he told the Gazette. “We trust our colleagues to find their own balance and we want them to have the flexibility to design a life that works for them,” he added.

The firm will set three guiding principles that must underpin the new approach:

• Meeting client demands,
• Collaborating as a team, and
• Delivering the output expected of every individual.

Reshaping work

New policies and guidance will reshape how the firm works, including how and where meetings take place, IT and other equipment for use outside the office, and health-and-safety guidance for those based at home. The firm has also said it will look at how its offices will need to change to support new working patterns.

DAC Beachcroft is the latest in a growing line of firms that have announced permanent changes to working patterns after the pandemic.

This includes ‘magic circle’ firms Freshfields, Allen & Overy, and Linklaters, who have said staff will work remotely at least 40% of the time, while Mishcon de Reya has told staff they are free to work where and when they like, provided clients’ needs are catered for.