Linklaters has launched a reverse mentoring pilot, with junior lawyers assigned to mentor the firm's more senior partners.

The programme will launch with the firm's partnership board and is set to run until November 2018. If successful, the pilot will then be rolled out across other areas of the firm.

Reverse mentoring gives junior members of the team the opportunity to mentor senior leaders in a bid to help build awareness and understanding of different people's perspectives and experiences.

Applications open today (Monday 29 January 2017) for the mentor roles, with submissions open to both lawyers and business teams across Linklaters global offices.

Linklaters particularly wants under-represented groups to apply for the programme such as those from under-represented ethnic groups, LGBT+ and lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

The partnership board is chaired by senior partner Charlie Jacobs and also includes London corporate partner Jessamy Gallagher, London banking partner Nick Syson, London capital markets partner Carson Welsh, Frankfurt tax partner Jens Blumenberg and Bangkok senior partner Wilailuk Okanurak.

The magic circle firm's global diversity and inclusion partner Fiona Hobbs said: "We place great importance on developing a better and mutual understanding of differences in cultures, values, motivations and skills of our people…so we're excited by this initiative.

"We know that if you want to learn something, you need to explore new ideas and new ways of working. Reverse mentoring is just one way we can do that. We hope that it will be a two-way street, which will hopefully add invaluable perspective for both sides of the relationship, helping our senior leaders drive stronger impact and give tomorrow's leaders the chance to shape how our firm looks."

Other firms to have launched similar programmes include Taylor Wessing, which introduced reverse mentoring in 2014 in a bid to attain a minimum target of 25% female representation in its partnership by 2018, which it did not achieve.