Trainees at magic circle firm Slaughter and May will be allowed to work from home one day a week, while other staff can work remotely up to 40% of the time.

Under a new policy, the majority of staff based in London and Brussels will work from the office at least 60% of the time. Meanwhile, trainees and new joiners will be in the office at least 80% of the time, with up to 20% of the time spent working remotely.

A young man takes notes as he listens to something on a laptop

Other employees can work from home up to 40% of the time

Source: iStock

The days on which staff come into the office will be flexible and can vary from week to week.

Slaughter and May executive partner Paul Stacey said: ‘After listening carefully to views from across the firm and from our clients, we are confident that this approach properly balances the interests of our people and delivery of the highest levels of client service.’

Magic circle rivals Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters have said they will allow staff to work from home up to half of the time once lockdown restrictions are eased. However, Freshfields said it had adopted an ‘interim approach’ and that preferences may change once offices re-open.

City firms are cautiously preparing to reopen their offices from 21 June, when the government hopes to remove all legal limits on social contact. While some practices plan to fully reopen their premises, others are taking a more gradual approach, allowing employees to come into the office once a week from June to meet with their team.