International firm Taylor Wessing has said staff can work from home up to half of the time once the pandemic has passed, as lawyers show ‘clear preference’ to divide their time between home and the office.

A new hybrid model will allow staff to work remotely between 20% and 50% of the time, and will come into effect when the government encourages businesses to return to office-based working.

Managing partner Shane Gleghorn said: ‘We were already on a journey towards more flexible working before the pandemic as part of our strategic commitment to inclusivity. Our experience this year has shown that we can continue to exceed our clients' expectations regardless of where we work. We are confident that a hybrid model, underpinned by a spirit of teamwork and collaboration, will deliver benefits for our people, our business and our clients.’

Taylor Wessing has adopted a similar approach to that of Linklaters, which will allow lawyers to work remotely for up to half the week under a new ‘agile working policy’.

Meanwhile, international firm Osborne Clarke will pay back the 7% salary reduction it introduced in June, after a ‘better than expected’ first half. It will cover five months from June to October and will be repaid in December.

A spokesperson for the firm said: ‘We will review the salary reduction again in Q3 and, if the figures allow, we will repay the balance and stop deducting it going forward. We will also make a flat-rate payment to every eligible employee in December as a thank you for their efforts.’

Performance bonuses for 2019/20 have been deferred to July 2021 and the firm said there will be no retrospective pay review for 2019/20. Pay reviews will be held as usual for 2020/21.

‘To enable us to take these actions, we decided to wait to address partner draws until the salary reduction is fully paid back. We have targets in place and we are hoping we will be in a position to advise on monthly and quarterly special draws early next year,’ the firm said.