Solicitors at magic circle firm Linklaters will be allowed to work from home for up to half of the week, under the rules of a new ‘agile working policy’ to be applied indefinitely. 

Employees across the global network will be able to work remotely up to 20-50% of the time, as long as teams are told in advance and operational roles are fulfilled, the firm said.

The policy draws on lessons learned during the pandemic and is intended to apply beyond Covid-19 restrictions.

A spokesperson for the firm said: ‘The firm is committed to ensuring that each conversation will start with a “yes” to exploring the possibilities as Linklaters continues to foster an inclusive culture enabling people to determine when, where and how they get their work done.’

Linklaters is also considering flexible start and finish times; modified daily ‘core’ hours; and modified hours to allow for commitments outside of work.

Andrea Arosio, managing partner of Linklaters in Italy and member of Linklaters’ global people committee, said: ‘The Covid-19 pandemic and our enforced remote working experiment has given us an opportunity to take stock and revisit how we approach agile and remote working.

‘Our recent experience has demonstrated that, whilst we are a people-focused business and collaboration is key, remote working has worked remarkably well and we can deliver high quality work whilst working remotely. Conversely, it has also reinforced the huge benefits we and our clients obtain from face to face interaction and the value of our offices as hubs of teamwork and learning and this policy does not detract from that.’

Linklaters' London office is currently open for anyone who would like to come in, the firm said, with strict social distancing and sanitation measures in place.