LONDON (WithinTheLaw) - Law firm Dentons has decided it enjoyed remote working during the lockdown so much it’s going to do it full time. The law firm has announced it is closing two UK offices in Aberdeen and Watford with its employees set to do all their work from home according to a report in TheLawyer.
The two offices employed 66 people in total, all of whom will now switch to a full home working schedule. A Receptionist at the However, they will be able to use the firm’s offices in Edinburgh and Milton Keynes when needed.
Speaking to TheLawyer, Dentons has confirmed there will be no redundancies because of the closure and that Watford employees will work in Milton Keynes and support the return to office / 100-day plan after its refurbishment. The only receptionist at the Aberdeen office will be offered employment in another capacity. All trainees will continue to work virtually with their teams.
The Watford office houses the legal delivery center and supports the firm on matters such as data subject access requests and chargeable administrative support.
The firm had already been looking at a move towards virtual working. They have been reviewing how their work has changed under lockdown including the use of digital technology.
According to an internal survey run by the firm 70% of its employees said they felt they could continue to do their jobs remotely. Everyone else felt they could perform most of their duties from home.
The firm has also taken a number of other measures during the COVID 19 crisis. In April it furloughed more than 100 employees and asked the rest to work on a four day week until the end of the year with a 20% reduction in pay.
Dentos says it does not intend to close any other offices but says lockdown has made them look at new ways of working, as well as, to accelerate the physical and behavioural changes that form ‘part of our strategy to build the law firm of the future’.
(Written by Tom Cropper, Edited by Klaudia Fior)