Pinsents gives staff Friday afternoons off

Month-long trial subject to client demand

In what might be a Big Law first, Pinsent Masons is allowing all its employees to finish early on a Friday throughout the month of August without taking a pay cut.

Lawyers across the firm’s UK, Europe and Middle East offices are currently benefitting from the scheme, which is now at the end of its second week. Pinsents says it will assess the success of this new flexible working scheme at the end of the month, before trialling it across its Johannesburg and Asia Pacific offices in 2025.

Managing partner at Pinsent Masons, Laura Cameron, told Legal Cheek:

“We believe that embracing new working practices and assessing their impact is an important part of being an innovative business. We have long supported agile working so that our people can structure their week in a way that supports clients, business need and their lives outside of work. As a purpose-led firm, this drive to support our people is very much part of our DNA.”

She continued: “This initiative is an extension of our established approach to work and underscores our commitment to remain flexible in how we manage our lives in and outside of work. We hope our people will benefit from the earlier finish during the quieter holiday period enabling them to take advantage of additional free time.”

We’ve seen firms pilot similar offerings for their staff. Slaughter and May, for instance, has gone halfway there with its creatively named ‘Switch On/Off’ scheme, which allows associates to reduce to either a 0.9 or 0.8 full-time equivalent for a proportionate pay and holiday entitlement cut.

Before Slaughters, there was Stephenson Harwood where lawyers were offered a deal that sees them earn 20% less to work from home full-time.

Crucially, those at Pinsent Masons can work this compressed week at no extra cost, which means finishing on a Friday at lunchtime without taking a salary hit or working extended hours earlier in the week. This, of course, comes with the important caveat that if you are busy and a client needs you, you won’t be clocking off early.