New programme will see associates given target of 400 hours a year to be spent on 'investment time'

Taylor Wessing partners will be asked to spend 50% of their recorded hours on business development (BD) activities as part of a bid to boost the firm's profile in a number of sectors.

Under the new programme, partners at the firm will be required to devote half their hours to 'investment time', and the remaining half of their time on chargeable hours.

In addition, each of the firm's associates will be required to meet a target of 400 hours a year spent on the programme, with the aim of improving client relationships.

The Anglo-German law firm expects the time to be spent on increasing industry sector knowledge as well as knowledge management and business development.

The plans come as part of a bid to raise the profile of the firm's newly-launched sector focus which in May outlined five key industry groups – technology, brands and communication; energy and utilities; financial services; life sciences and healthcare; and real estate, infrastructure and mobility.

Taylor Wessing managing partner Tim Eyles (pictured) commented: "The programme manifests our commitment to investing in client service. We want to light the creative spark in all our lawyers and show our clients that we're advisers who have innovative solutions to their business issues as well as being great technical lawyers – we need to set time aside to achieve that."

Aside from increasing sector knowledge, the time can also be used towards improving relationships with clients in the firm's key global client programme, also launched earlier this year and highlighting relationships with clients including Royal Bank of Scotland, Deutsche Post, Google, easyJet, Nike and private equity firm Electra.

Meanwhile, the firm has hired Jean Michel Beeching as its first global head of BD to oversee initiatives and integrate BD across the firm's international offices. He will join in September from KPMG but has also previously worked in BD at Linklaters.