Credit: Andy Shaw/Bloomberg News

Linklaters has expanded its reverse mentoring programme, after running a pilot scheme last year.

The Magic Circle firm opened applications for the scheme, which pairs partners and senior staff members with junior lawyers and staff, to the whole firm this year.

Previously, applications were only open to senior partners who sat on the firm's executive committee, partnership board and people committee.

Thirty-four pairings are now in place at a range of offices including London, Washington D.C. and its bases in Germany. The scheme will run for six months.

The pilot last year involved participation from London, Hong Kong, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Beijing and Dubai. The firm said that due to high levels of interest, the firm opened mentee applications from all partners and business teams directors globally.

Linklaters managing partner Gideon Moore and senior partner Charlie Jacobs will be mentees again this year, after taking part in the pilot project.

Applications to become mentors were open to the firm's legal, business and secretarial teams across the firm's global offices. Linklaters say that mentors from underrepresented groups, including minority ethnic, LGBT+ and lower socieeconomic backgrounds, are "particularly welcomed".

Jacobs said in a statement today (April 2) that reverse mentoring during the programme's trial phase "exceeded all my expectations" and "gave me a unique opportunity to build a relationship with a junior colleague, from a different background, in a different team, who I may not otherwise have met".

Last year, Allen & Overy expanded its reverse mentoring scheme to include more practice areas and offices.

A&O senior partner Wim Dejonghe was among those taking part in the pilot, and was paired with London banking counsel Catherine Lang-Anderson. The pair would meet every six weeks for about an hour, with both praising the scheme.