Addleshaw Goddard has rolled out a flexible working scheme after 95% of fee earners voted in favour of the plans.

The scheme, which started on 1 July, will run for a 12 month period and will see the firm putting some fee earners onto a four day week in return for 85% of pay. It is understood that the majority of fee earners in Addleshaws' real estate group are already working four day weeks.

Other flexible working initiatives include sabbaticals and buying additional holiday. Fee earners can take additional leave in blocks of four, eight, 12 and 26 weeks at 30% of salary during the time off.

The move follows a redundancy consultation at the firm, which saw 85 business services and secretarial staff laid off across London, Manchester and Leeds.

The top 20 firm has also frozen salaries for all fee earners and business services staff at 2008-09 levels until 2010.

Addleshaws' HR director, Judith Hardy said: "These decisions were not straightforward, but they were a necessary and appropriate response to the continuing market conditions."

She added: "The fee earner support for the flexible working changes we think are essential to the short-term management of our costs has been overwhelming and gives us a really positive mandate to manage capacity better in areas where we are not busy. Their co-operation has been fantastic and their buy-in will help us to keep our talent together and respond positively to the current downturn."

In addition the firm has announced that it will be retaining 75% of its newly qualified lawyers starting in September with 33 out of 44 individuals staying on. The firm retained 79% (28 out of 35) of its trainees in September 2008.