Source: Legalfutures
As businesses across the UK grapple with return-to-office mandates, law firms find themselves at a pivotal moment. While corporate giants like Amazon and government bodies such as HM Land Registry pressure staff to return to physical workspaces, many legal practices are discovering that flexible working arrangements offer strategic advantages beyond pandemic-era necessity.
The Evolution of Flexible Working in Legal Practice
The landscape of legal work has transformed dramatically since 2020. What began as a forced experiment has evolved into a deliberate strategy, with firms taking varied approaches—from hybrid schedules to fully remote operations with reduced office footprints.
Tina Wisener, chief executive at London law firm Doyle Clayton, reflects on this journey: “[Hybrid working] was thrust upon us in 2020. And here we are, in 2025, happy, successful, and growing.”
The key to this success? “Trust,” Wisener emphasizes. “You’ve got to trust your employees. If someone’s at home working, you trust them to do their job… if you haven’t got trust, you haven’t got anything, really.”
Balancing Concerns with Opportunities
Law firm leaders continue to weigh legitimate concerns against emerging opportunities. Productivity, collaboration, and mentorship remain top considerations, particularly for junior staff whose professional development benefits from in-person interaction with senior colleagues.
Yet firms embracing flexibility report significant benefits:
- Enhanced talent attraction and retention
- Reduced overhead costs
- Increased job satisfaction
- Greater inclusivity for diverse talent
The Talent Advantage
For Lindsey Kidd, managing director of HM3 Legal in Chester, flexible working is a key component of a broader talent strategy. Her firm, which is two-thirds female-led and B-Corp certified, views flexibility as central to its identity.
“It’s empowering them to know that they can have the flexibility that they need, and trusting them to do the job rather than micromanaging,” Kidd explains.
This approach particularly resonates with working parents. As Kidd notes, “I’m a working mum and of the three of us that own the business, two of us have young children.”
Technology as the Enabler
The transformation toward flexible working would be impossible without technological infrastructure. Georgia Smith, a senior lawyer at Milner Elledge in Essex, describes how her firm’s journey to becoming digital-first was accelerated by necessity.
“During lockdown… the business was busy and we needed to review our systems so we could go fully digital,” Smith recounts. “Everyone needed access to case files because they were working from home and that was when we had the realisation that we had a system in place that we weren’t taking full advantage of.”
This technological evolution continues as firms explore new capabilities: “We want to keep developing how we use [our practice management system] because there’s so much we still don’t know. Implementing the client portal is the next stage for us,” Smith adds.
The Future of Legal Work
As 2025 progresses, it’s clear that flexible working is more than a temporary adjustment—it’s reshaping the legal profession in fundamental ways. The most successful firms are moving beyond binary “office or remote” thinking to create cultures built on trust, empowerment, and technological enablement.
By embracing this approach, law firms can develop more productive, efficient, and resilient workforces better equipped to meet client needs in a rapidly changing world. The firms that thrive will be those that view flexibility not as a concession but as a strategic advantage in the competition for talent, client satisfaction, and long-term growth.
The debate around working patterns will undoubtedly continue, but one thing is certain: flexibility, in its various forms, is now firmly embedded in the DNA of successful legal practice.
Read more: Legalfutures
