Partners that have been at A&O for 10 years are entitled to a three-month sabbatical, which the firm now allows to be taken in a number of ways.
This includes the option of dividing up their sabbatical over a series of summers and the firm is preparing to ditch the provision that if a sabbatical is not taken immediately a partner will forfeit the right to take it at all.
The magic circle law firm said it had been offering a more liberal stance on the issue for a while and that the policy changes will make it formal.
A&O partnership secretary Heather McCallum told Legal Week: “The policy was written about 20 years ago when the firm was a lot smaller and we are updating it to reflect what is happening in practice.”
The firm added that the increased flexibility was particularly useful to partners with children, as they could combine part of their sabbatical with annual leave and take a chunk of the holidays with them.
In addition, while the firm still largely observes the ‘10-year’ rule, it also offers some flexibility for partners wanting to take a sabbatical before then.
Some partners have also been offered unpaid leave to take time out for activities such as travelling.
One partner at the firm said: “I tell all my associates that this is a good reason to look at partnership — you may work hard, but where else would you be afforded this opportunity?”