Leading law firms introduce staff sabbatical leave and wellbeing day

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Walker Morris, a distinctive and independent top 100 UK law firm, has introduced a new sabbatical scheme for lawyers.

This sabbatical scheme enables all its solicitors from associate to director level with over two years of service (from 1 November 2021) to be eligible for up to four weeks paid leave on top of their annual holiday.

The new workplace scheme was introduced to nurture a healthy work/life balance within the firm. Since covid-19 law firms have launched wellness schemes to reduce burnout and fatigue from the pandemic and retain talent. Over 160 staff at Walker Morris are eligible for this new incentive.

Walker Morris’s goal is to provide its lawyers with a “sustainable, long-term career handing exposure to top flight City-quality work.”

Malcolm Simpson, managing partner at Walker Morris, commented: “Throughout 2020 and 2021 we have been especially keen to understand our employees’ working preferences so that we may continue to develop a culture that provides valuable careers and acknowledges the importance of a good work life balance.”

Similarly, global law firm Kennedys Law LLP is giving its colleagues an annual ‘wellbeing day’ to encourage them to look after their mental health.

A wellbeing day enables Kennedy’s employees to take their day’s leave and carry up to six days of their holiday allowance over to the following year. The firm has also encouraged staff to post videos on its intranet to share what makes them healthy and happy with their colleagues.

Caroline Wilson, global HR director at Kennedys, said: “As anyone working in law firms will know, the end of the financial year can be one of its busiest times and we were finding that people were losing their holiday because they didn’t want to take the time off.

“We didn’t want anyone to miss out or be caused unnecessary stress because of that so we’ve relaxed that rule and now colleagues can book the time off when it suits them.

“Similarly, the wellbeing day is a bonus, but by calling it that we’ve found that it’s encouraging people to think differently and use it to do something for themselves. Over 600 people have already requested their wellbeing day so far.”

Walker Morris and Kennedy’s aren’t the only firms to recognise the pressures of the pandemic, since covid-19 law firms have introduced a number of schemes:

• Cooley announced that it’s offering all partners and staff £45,000 for fertility treatment as part of its new ‘family forming’ perk and Clifford Chance revealed an extension to its health insurance, which will cover fertility treatment up to a cost of £15,000.
• Magic circle law firm Linklaters  partnered with a tech start-up to launch a specialist mental health app.
• US law firm Stephenson Harwood LLP introduced a ‘salary sacrifice’ scheme to attract talented junior lawyers, which will enable lawyers at the firm to drive away in an electric vehicle.