William Fry LLP is launching two new business service lines – ‘PeopleBridge’ and ‘William Fry Connect’ – in a bid to address the changing needs of businesses and lawyers.
The law firm says that PeopleBridge solves short-term legal and tax-staffing needs of businesses by providing professionals on a flexible, fixed/short-term basis, but with the backing and support of a full-service leading firm.
Time-sensitive workload challenges
Managing partner Owen O'Sullivan says that due to time-sensitive workload challenges or employee-leave purposes, there is a need to need to resource staff for fixed terms or at short notice, without having to deal with lengthy recruitment processes.
“Clients will take comfort in the fact that lawyers and tax advisers placed on short-term assignments through PeopleBridge have been vetted by a leading law firm, and have access to the support and resources of William Fry,” he added.
PeopleBridge welcomes lawyers and tax advisers with a minimum of two years post-qualification experience who have typically trained at a leading Irish or international legal or tax practice, and who are interested in short-term placements with in-house legal and business teams.
Control of work schedule
William Fry Connect, meanwhile, is a flexible working model aimed at senior lawyers and tax advisers seeking greater control of their work schedule, while having the backing and brand of a full-service leading law firm to enable them to grow their practice.
It is aimed at lawyers and tax advisors who have at least seven years’ experience at a leading Irish or international legal or tax practice, and who can generate business to support their practice and are looking to work more flexibly.
Owen O’Sullivan explained: “William Fry Connect will give senior lawyers and tax advisers with established practices the opportunity to join a leading law firm on fully flexible terms.”
O’Sullivan said that the move is innovative, in that a top-tier firm in Ireland is offering established professionals the ability to join a leading practice, not as a partner or consultant in the traditional way, but as a consultant, to practice on terms that work for them.
Wider pool of talent
He continued: “By providing a wider pool of talent to clients, and providing flexible terms for those who want to work in a more versatile way, we are taking a market-leading approach that benefits all parties.”
Partner Matthew Cahill, who is leading both projects internally at the law firm, added: “COVID-19 has been a great disrupter to how we work, and our new fully-flexible contract is the next step in the evolution of flexible working at top-tier firms.”
Cahill said that both initiatives would bring many back to the workplace, and allow those at the later stages of their careers to keep practising.