Law firm Shoosmiths reopens Whiteley offices after 'radical refresh' thanks to coronavirus

Shoosmiths, a law firm in Forum 5, Parkway, Whiteley, reopened last week, after a period of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the law firm is now back up and fully operational and says its office opening has given colleagues more choice to decide where and when they work.

The company has also brought in four key working principles, called ‘Your How' principles, which has committed to an output not occupancy ethos, with technology taking precedence over floorspace – all aimed at enhancing the firm’s client experience.

The new Shoosmiths’ way of working has been shaped in part by the firm’s rapid response to the pandemic – adopting even more home-based working and providing its staff with the necessary equipment within the first week.

To ensure it is Covid-19 safe, Shoosmiths said it is committed to a two-metre social distancing rule as well as only allowing a limited number of people at any location at one time, as well as requiring a three-day notice-period for any attendance.

Shoosmiths’ head of the Solent office, Paula Swain, said: ‘The pandemic has brought about a seismic shift in how we work, and we’ve adapted to this with enhanced agility.

‘It’s not a case of going back to the old ways of working – we have chosen to embrace the change and do things differently and build on everything we’ve learned over the past few months.

‘I am incredibly proud of how we’ve adapted as a firm – from the commitment and flexibility of our colleagues, to the speed at which our IT team fast-forwarded our working from home ability. Our new ‘Your How’ principles build on all this good work, and more importantly, goodwill.

‘We have taken the opportunity for a radical refresh of our talent proposition which we know will improve working life for our teams, aid our diversity and inclusion agenda, increase our talent pool and enhance our client offering. This is a game changer.’

Shoosmiths LLP is a UK law firm with 13 locations, with a headcount of 1,600 people including 209 partners.

Its Birmingham office is also trialling a new software system developed in-house, called Basecamp, which allows colleagues to book a desk, parking and other facilities.

Shoosmiths LLP was named National Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2019 and has been ranked in the top five firms for deal volume for the past four years in Experian MarketIQ’s M&A Review.

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