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Freshfields to Blur the Meaning of 'Associate'

By Eric Lipman

A report this morning on the Legal Week website reveals that Magic Circle powerhouse Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has decided to implement a pilot program among corporate associates in its London office, offering them a veritable cornucopia of "alternative work schemes." According to the article, the four options, which associates must apply for, are as follows: The four schemes include a basic job-share whereby associates will pair up to divide their working week between them. There is also the option for associates to work off-site on a regular basis. The third option available will see the introduction of a "buddy scheme" whereby associates will put their name into a pool to cover colleagues who have important arrangements and need time off. The last option is a maternity phasing arrangement which will be available to female associates from the announcement of their pregnancy up to six months after their return from maternity leave. During this time female associates will be able to take a less active role in client work in an effort to make hours worked more consistent and to avoid unsociable hours on transactions. There's not a lot of detail there, but let's try to parse these out (in American...

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on July 19, 2010 (boomark / email).