JD Journal » flexible hours scheme

Yale Law Women Choose 2009 Top Ten ‘Family-Friendly’ Firms

Erik Even — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:05:03 +0000

Yale Law Women has announced its 2009 Top Ten Family Friendly Firms List:

Arnold & Porter
Cleary Gottlieb
Covington & Burling
Jenner & Block
Katten Muchin Rosenman
Mayer Brown
Munger, Tolles & Olson
Patton Boggs
Sidley Austin
WilmerHale

From the press release:

YLW believes that the discussion of family friendly firm policies remains salient in the midst of the current recession… YLW hopes leading firms will use this period of transformation as an opportunity to develop more flexible work arrangements and career paths for their attorneys…

Twenty-five percent of firms who responded to our survey offer formal “off-ramp/on-ramp programs,” which allow attorneys to leave the firm for a number of years to pursue other types of legal practice or to take time off to spend with their families.

Flexible and part-time work options are also becoming the norm: 99% of part-time requests were granted on average, and 41% of responding firms automatically grant part-time requests if conditions in a written policy are met…

…YLW remains concerned about the dearth of women in leadership positions, the gender gap in those who take advantage of family friendly policies, and the possibility that working part-time can derail an otherwise successful career.

Yale Law Women is a non-partisan organization that promotes the interests of women within the law school and beyond. To this end, YLW cultivates debate and discussion of issues pertaining to women and gender broadly defined; promotes speech and action by YLW members on issues of import to women; devotes resources to student support and professional development; recognizes and fosters outstanding achievement; and advocates in service of women’s interests in society.

Drinker Biddle Will Not Defer Associates, But Will Cut Salaries

Erik Even — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:44:02 +0000

Drinker Biddle will allow its 36 incoming associates to start on time in September; but their salaries will be reduced, and they will enter a training program rather than jumping right in.

From a memo so long, we wondered if he catches the whale at the end:

Many of our lawyers have asked us whether we intend to modify our hiring program. In particular, given client questions about the value of very junior lawyers, it has been suggested that we should rely more on lateral hiring of more senior lawyers who have already received their initial training elsewhere. …we believe the answer is not to cut off the source of talent and future leaders of our firm by abandoning our traditional practice of hiring lawyers out of law schools. Nevertheless, we are now reviewing how we run our summer programs and train recent law school graduates to be Drinker Biddle lawyers. …we may very well hire fewer people and commit to train them better.

We have also decided to welcome and train our incoming lawyers rather than defer their arrival for months or a full year…

Accordingly, we are advising all of our incoming lawyers to join us in late September of this year and to expect to spend the first several months of their practice receiving intensive training – a training program far more rigorous and focused than any we have previously provided. Although much of this training will be focused on traditional legal skills relevant to particular areas of practice, we also expect to spend substantial time educating our new lawyers about our clients’ businesses and Drinker Biddle’s approach to adding value in countless practical ways…

During this initial period.. we will pay our incoming lawyers at an annual salary rate of $105,000. Any client work they perform will be billed at a significant rate reduction to ensure that, if new lawyers perform work for clients, the value is clear. In the spring of 2010 – once our new lawyers have been with us for at least six months – we expect to bring their compensation in line with then prevalent market rates for first-year lawyers.

The firm also announced a new flex time policy.

Some time in 2010, the firm plans to announce a new structure for associate compensation and bonuses.

Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP was founded in Philadelphia in 1849. The firm has more than 650 attorneys in 12 offices in the US. Its largest offices are in Philadelphia; Chicago; Florham Park, New Jersey; and Washington, DC.

Norton Rose to Implement Hour Reductions

Erik Even — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:09:48 +0000

Most offices of London’s Norton Rose have approved a flexible hours scheme first announced in March.

The firm hopes to avoid redundancies by reducing hours. The scheme has been approved by 19 of the firm’s 21 international offices.

Norton Rose is still working to make the plan comply with the law in France and Germany.

London lawyers and staff were informed this week they will be the first affected.

The plan, under which Norton Rose employees, including partners, would choose between a four-day week, a paid sabbatical of four to 12 weeks, or both, is entirely voluntary.

The Norton Rose Group is a leading international law firm. It offers business law services from 21 offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. With around 1000 lawyers, its practice specializes in five key areas: corporate finance, financial institutions, energy and infrastructure, transport and technology.

DC AG Limits FH; AFGE Is MAD

Erik Even — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:07:59 +0000

District of Columbia Attorney General Peter Nickles is amending a flexible hours plan for attorneys, and the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1403 is challenging the move.

Since it was put into place in 2005 by DC’s then-Attorney General Robert J. Spagnoletti, lawyers can take one day off a week if they make up the hours at other times.

Nickels has altered the plan, limiting which days of the week can be taken off, and limiting days off to 20% of lawyers at one time.

The union says that by making unilateral changes to the flexible hours plan, Nickles has violated a collective bargaining agreement. The union says three quarters of the lawyers in the AG’s office take advantage of the plan; and the office uses the plan as a carrot for recruitment.

Norton Rose Adopting 4-Day Week

Erik Even — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:26:44 +0000

Norton Rose may implement flexible hours scheme to help avoid job cuts.

For one year, Norton Rose employees (including partners) would choose between a four-day week, a paid sabbatical of four to 12 weeks, or both.

Employees would earn 85% of their salary for the four-day week, while the sabbatical option would be paid out at 30% of base salary.

If approved, the scheme will run from May 1st, 2009.

Last month, the firm offered incoming trainees cash to defer their start dates.

The Norton Rose Group is a leading international law firm. It offers business law services from 20 offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. With around 1000 lawyers, its practice specializes in five key areas: corporate finance, financial institutions, energy and infrastructure, transport and technology.