Firm hires new head for paralegal team amid revamp of processes

Addleshaw Goddard is looking to ramp up the use of flexible working by its lawyers following a six-month consultation with staff on how the firm can work more efficiently.

The firm is set to pilot the flexi-working scheme within its employment practice, as it looks to accommodate the changing needs of staff and keep hold of talented lawyers unsatisfied with the standard working week.

Addleshaws also hopes the scheme could lead to the return of former lawyers who have left the profession due to frustrations with the long hours culture.

Plans are still at an early stage, but the move is part of Addleshaws' transition to a new delivery model which has seen the firm adopt new working processes across a range of practice areas.

The consultation, which concluded in December, saw partners and associates map out the most efficient processes for 46 different types of work, ranging from corporate transactions to employment tribunals.

The overhaul is part of an effort to more accurately deploy the most suitable staff for a variety of jobs, often freeing up partners and associates from carrying out more mundane tasks.

The overarching aim is to reduce costs for clients, with the new fully mapped and transparent work processes giving clients the ability to select areas it can carry out in-house and further save on fees.

It is expected this new model will lead to an increased amount of work being carried out by the firm's growing transaction services team (TST).

The TST, which launched with five paralegals in 2010, has now grown to a headcount of almost 70 and is expected to deliver at least 10% of the firm's work by 2015.

In addition, the firm has this week hired legal process outsourcing (LPO) expert Andrew Loach to head up the TST team as COO.

Loach joins from Berwin Leighton Paisner, where he was business development manager in the firm's Managed Legal Services arm. He has also worked at LPO providers Integreon and CPA Global.

Loach said: "The TST is a bold response by Addleshaws to deliver better results for clients while improving competitiveness, increasing the quality of work and by resourcing work differently."