Germany's Gleiss Lutz is set to offer its lawyers two paid sabbaticals during their first six years at the firm in a push to improve work/life balance for its associates.

The sabbatical programme, which will begin in January next year, will give all associates and associated partners – the firm's equivalent of senior associate – the opportunity to take a fully paid month off in their third and sixth years of employment.

Gleiss M&A partner Alexander Schwarz, the partner handling staff matters, said: "We are introducing these sabbaticals as a direct response to the results of a recent survey carried out among our associates [that] highlighted the importance of work/life balance. A particularly frequent comment by our associates was that they wished they could take a longer break from work.

"We believe that someone who can recharge his or her batteries will come back to work with increased energy and more creative ideas. This means that it is not just our employees who benefit, but ultimately the entire firm."

Gleiss, which claims to be the first leading law firm in Germany to offer female partners the option to work part-time, has said all partners at the firm have had the opportunity to take sabbaticals for several years, although these have not been paid.

Partners can take a three-month sabbatical after five years in the partnership, followed by the opportunity to take another every seven years.

Gleiss, which is based in Stuttgart, has six offices in Germany, as well as bases in Budapest, Brussels, Prague and Warsaw. The firm was formerly part of a three-way European alliance with legacy Herbert Smith and Stibbe.

Other firms recently introducing sabbatical opportunities include Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, which in 2011 rolled out its 'Smart Balance' flexi-working and diversity scheme across its Austrian and German offices. The initiative includes four-week sabbaticals for senior associates.