Baker McKenzie Offers Reduced Working Week and Sabbaticals In London

Baker McKenzie has rolled out optional flexible working measures for its London staff and lawyers, including a reduced working week and sabbaticals, as part of a further slew of measures undertaken in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the firm.

The firm is offering all London support staff and lawyers the opportunity to work reduced hours, which would see participants work a four day week at 85% pay.

Its London staff and lawyers have also been “encouraged” to apply for sabbaticals, according to a partner at the firm.

All of the firm’s London staff and lawyers are eligible to apply for a sabbatical, which can last from six weeks to three months and will be part-paid, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

The person added each sabbatical request will need to be discussed with the individual’s manager before it can be approved.

The sabbatical programme was introduced via a virtual town hall meeting held by the firm earlier in June, according to two partners at the firm.

The measures are part of a wider range of measures enacted by the firm in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the legal industry.

The firm is also deferring salary reviews for all London employees from July, and that decision will be reviewed in six months, according to a statement by the firm.

It is also deferring decisions about all London bonus payouts until later in 2020, and pausing all recruitment activities “with the exception of strategic lateral hires and graduate recruitment”, according to the statement.

The firm said in a statement the new measures will seek to ensure “as much job security as possible” and stressed that partners will “particularly bear the brunt of any impact”.

London managing partner Alex Chadwick said in a statement: “We have navigated the COVID-19 economic environment well so far.

“As the economic landscape begins to shift, we need to ensure that we are well-positioned so we can continue to protect the strength of our business while preserving jobs. This means adopting a prudent and measured approach temporarily until the economic picture becomes clearer.”

The measures in London follow others made that affect different parts of the global firm’s business.

In April, the firm reduced salaries by 15% for all U.S. lawyers and business services professionals earning a minimum of $100,000 a year for the rest of 2020.

The global juggernaut joins several other firms in making similar measures. In April, Norton Rose Fulbright asked its Europe, Middle East and Asia staff to work a four-day week for a 20% reduction in pay.

Meanwhile, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has deferred “portions of partner distributions”, and introduced pay cuts by 15% for an initial 13-week period from May for all employees across all of its offices.

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