Junior lawyers will be able to influence senior decision-making at Dentons after the City firm announced it has established its first-ever ‘shadow executive team’.

The firm said the shadow executive team will enable the executive leadership to tap into a broad range of perspectives and experiences while future-proofing the firm to give the next generation of leaders early exposure to executive decision-making. The shadow team ‘will bring fresh insights to the topics that matter to the firm, its clients and its people, helping to drive well-informed decisions on Dentons' key strategic and operational initiatives,’ Dentons said.

The team will comprise junior partners and senior legal and business services professionals appointed for 12 months at a time to make recommendations to the executive leadership team. As well as receiving training and mentoring, they will determine their own agenda, considering issues such as career development and generative AI.

Dentons told the Gazette the idea to create a shadow executive team came from the executive leadership. It was introduced as a means to demonstrate investment in the career development of staff and develop connections within the firm, engage diverse colleagues well before they would ordinarily become part of management and leadership teams, and broaden the range of perspectives on key topics.

Dentons chief executive Paul Jarvis said: ‘I am thrilled to welcome such an exceptional group of people to our first-ever shadow executive team. This team will engage in open and honest debate, bringing fresh ideas and diverse insights to enrich our leadership thinking on the topics that matter most to our clients, our colleagues and our communities. The team also enhances our commitment to increasing the transparency of governance and decision making in our firm as we deliver our five-year strategy.’