| Linklaters | Standout | The Linklaters 'deal': global career development programme for associates. | 7 | 8 | 7 | 22 | A systematic initiative to give associates more of a valuable, portable career, based on a "grow and go" model rather than the common "up and out" approach. |
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| Berwin Leighton Paisner | Standout | In-house Headhunter: top recruiter employed by the firm to find high calibre associates. | 8 | 6 | 7 | 21 | Focused, resourceful recruitment initiative. Uses internal lawyers to source potential candidates in return for bonuses. Firm saves £500,000 in recruitment fees. 44 associates and partners recruited in 24 months. |
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| Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | Standout | Senior Associate Development: simulating real life through the use of clients and external coaches. | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 | An unusually effective, high pressure business simulation for 28 associates. Besides clients and coaches, 50 of the firm's partners also participated in 2 day sessions which gives associates an intense push up their career curves. |
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| iLaw | Highly commended | New recruitment and compensation model for a law firm. | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 | Recruit only senior lawyers and pay them on the basis of their fee income. Lawyers earn 50% of fees up to £200,000, and a higher percentage if they bill more. Leads to genuine flexible working on a scale not seen in top law firms. |
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| Lovells | Highly commended | Senior Associate Development: interactive, well structured associate conference. | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 | Senior associates have Myers Briggs profiling before the event, mentoring by a partner, and 'virtual' action learning groups. Firm's partners staff an interactive exhibition space. 'Elective' sessions give all round commercial training. |
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| Clifford Chance | Highly commended | Global career framework for business services staff who are usually neglected in law firms. | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 | A transparent structure and a set of core competencies formally define all business services roles in the firm. The framework gives clarity and career development to this group of employees. |
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| Blake Lapthorn | Highly commended | Promoting and integrating the firm's core values. | 6 | 6 | 7 | 19 | The firm, which is a product of three mergers in five years, has instituted core values through the use of office champions and a people-led approach rather than a procedural one. |
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| Allen & Overy | Highly commended | An evolved, on-site health and wellbeing solution for staff. | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 | The preventative element is a twist on law firm health offerings. In-house doctors and dentists, physiotherapsists and a physiologist are part of this integrated service which also includes health screening, an on-site pathology lab and 24-hours-a-day adv |
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| Linklaters | Highly commended | Global career development programme for business services staff. | 5 | 6 | 7 | 18 | A pragmatic, throrough approach to business services training that is rare in law firms. Includes a global talent programme to encourage talented advisors to become leaders and provides experiential training at every level. |
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| Garrigues | Highly commended | Post-graduate programme in contract law for trainees with Harvard Law School. | 7 | 6 | 5 | 18 | Garrigues and Harvard Law school offer a joint post-graduate course for all practising junior lawyers which is the first of its kind in Spain. Course comprises 262 classroom hours, uses distance monitoring and on-line training technologies. |
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| De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek | Highly commended | Brains in Business campaign and new recruitment website. | 5 | 7 | 6 | 18 | Re-vamped website shows the human face of the firm via streamed videos. Applications to the firm have increased and page views doubled. |
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| Allen & Overy | Highly commended | Parents@A&O: intranet for parents and parents-to-be. | 7 | 6 | 5 | 18 | Providing an interactive resource for parents and not just women is different. It gives common ground to people across the firm to cover a broad range of child-related issues. |
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| Wragge & Co | Commended | Teaching partners and associates to become coaches using bespoke programme from Kaizen Consulting. | 6 | 6 | 5 | 17 | Using coaching to create a safe environment to transfer knowledge. Coaching is flexible and used in 10 minute slots to create a system of regular, responsive feedback. |
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| SJ Berwin | Commended | Coaching partners using sporting psychologies. | 5 | 6 | 6 | 17 | Using Lane 4 which was co-founded by Adrian Moorhouse MBE, Olympic gold medallist, to help partners focus on creating high performance teams. One of the largest joined-up programmes in the legal sector which is effecting behavioural change. |
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| Lovells | Commended | Structured training programme for business support staff, PAs, associates and trainees. | 5 | 6 | 6 | 17 | Teaches commercial awareness to all employee groups in the firm that is tailored to their functions and requirements. Each group is trained to understand their clients be they internal or external. |
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| Herbert Smith | Commended | Campus Managers: using a student representative to promote the firm all year round. | 6 | 5 | 6 | 17 | Campus managers assist the firm's graduate team in planning events and act as a source of information for students on campus. There are 22 campus managers all over the UK. Firm has seen 20 per cent increase in offers to participating universities. |
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| Eversheds | Commended | Flexible working empowerment. | 5 | 6 | 5 | 16 | Making flexible working requests easy and paperless through the introduction of an informal discussion with the line manager to get flexible working approved. |
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| Beachcroft | Commended | Flexible working: allows employees choice over how they work. | 5 | 6 | 5 | 16 | Different options, clarity about the process and the ease of applying for flexible working differentiates this approach. Firm provides all the necessary technology, equipment and stationery. |
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| Ashurst | Commended | Changing Pension Management: introduction of a single new pension structure for all staff. | 6 | 5 | 5 | 16 | A firm-wide overhaul of a key, emotionally sensitive benefit. A pension manager website now enables the firm and all staff to manage their pensions effectively. |
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