Slater & Gordon to Close London Office, Staff to Work From Home Permanently
In a UK first, the firm's staff will work from home permanently from Autumn following a successful remote-working run during the COVID-19 lockdown.
May 27, 2020 at 10:13 AM
3 minute read
Slater & Gordon
Slater and Gordon is to close its London base as staff gear up for working from home permanently from September onwards.
In a U.K. first, the move sees the firm end its residence at its current base at 90 High Holborn in London. It will also conduct a review of all its other U.K. offices in September. It comes as the firm's staff start their third month of working remotely under the COVID-19 lockdown.
Once the firm's lease for the Holborn office ends in September, all 200 London employees will work from home most of the time—though the firm is hoping to find a smaller office space which will be used to host meetings.
The firm is yet to make any concrete decisions regarding its lease commitments to its offices outside of London.
The firm's chief executive David Whitmore said in a statement: "Today we have announced to our staff that we won't ever go back to how we worked before COVID.
"We don't want our staff tethered to desks in offices. We trust them to work hard to get the best outcomes for our clients wherever they are. We are a technology driven business and we always knew that having most of our staff working remotely was in our future. It improves the well-being and work life balance of our staff and provides flexibility to our customers. We have been able to accelerate these plans over the last few months.
"When we do look to return to our offices they won't look like they used to and colleagues will be encouraged to continue working remotely for the majority of the time. Working smart is better for everyone. Our colleagues and our customers. It's the S+G Way."
Whitmore added that the firm's offices are likely to run to just 35% capacity while social distancing restrictions remain. Staff will be provided with multiple screens if they are needed and homes fitted with comfortable office equipment.
The decision comes as other firms, such as Baker McKenzie and DLA Piper, have been canvassing staff (via surveys) on the prospects of returning to their offices after the lockdown.
Read more:
Welcome to the Law Firm Office of the Future: Smaller, Higher-Tech and One-Way
The Coronavirus Will Change the Legal Industry's Approach to Remote Work—But How?
Baker McKenzie Shuts Down London Office Following Coronavirus Scare
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Linklaters Sees Latest Partner Exit as UK Leveraged Finance Partner Walks To Simpson Thacher
2 minute read
Ex-Dewey & LeBoeuf Banking Lawyer on Trial in Germany’s Cum-Ex Tax Scandal
DLA Piper & Hogan Lovells Expand German Construction and Property Practices
2 minute read
White & Case, Cleary Among Firms Gearing Up for Biggest London IPO Since 2022
3 minute readLaw Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
