A matter of time: Why lawyers should embrace four-day week

In recent years, the idea of the universal four-day working week - 80% time, 100% output, 100% pay - has edged gradually towards the mainstream.

Following last year’s coordinated four-day week trial in the UK, the 61 participating organisations reported no loss of revenue despite the reduction in working time. Staff attrition rates fell significantly, employee wellbeing and work/life balance improved and 92% of participants opted to continue with the shorter week.

So far, so good – save for one notable absence. The trial attracted participants from a broad range of industries, but not a single law firm. For some, 'cultural norms' are to blame for lawyers’ reluctance to explore the four-day week. But as professional problem-solvers, isn’t it about time we applied a critical eye to the benefits and challenges of this new way of working?

I write from personal experience of working a four-day week as a solicitor, both as a magic circle senior associate and as associate general counsel at a high-growth technology company.

My four-day story starts like those of many other working parents in pursuit of balance on returning from parental leave. Inspired by the wider four-day week movement (and always mindful of cautionary tales of doing five or more days’ work for 80% pay), I approach my arrangement as an operating model based on four key principles:

1. Productivity: eliminating unnecessary meetings, streamlining repeatable processes and grouping similar tasks together.

2. Delegation: creating practical development opportunities for junior colleagues by supporting them to 'steer the ship' on my non-working day.

3. Personalisation: scheduling Wednesday (rather than the commonly assumed Friday) as my non-working day, to align with deadlines and client needs.

4. Boundaries with flexibility: acknowledging that my four-day week will not succeed unless I commit to my boundaries. This is an ongoing challenge, but the important counterbalance is flexibility. Colleagues and clients respect my four-day week, confident that I am prepared to triage and resolve genuinely urgent issues on my non-working day.

With the benefit of a mid-week pause, I am more strategic in serving my clients and shaping my career. The quality of work I received in private practice remained constant, and after moving in-house, I was promoted twice in 10 months.

But mine is just one story. I am under no illusion as to the challenges involved in implementing a widespread four-day week in the legal profession, particularly within the billable hours model. Re-working the model is a matter for another article, but if that is not possible, why not try intelligent work allocation, with each fee-earner balancing a combination of hourly and fixed-fee matters? Why not apply the principles above to create an energised and focused workforce with maximised billable capacity across four days?

A handful of pioneering law firms in the UK, Canada, Denmark and Ireland have already implemented a four-day week across practice areas as diverse as estate planning, civil litigation, personal injury, family and commercial law. Clients and potential clients (including Unilever, Sainsbury’s, Canon and Metro Bank) are running their own four-day pilots. A new generation of future lawyers is watching closely.

The four-day week is not perfect, but supported experimentation is an ideal opportunity for law firms to assess whether the benefits outweigh the challenges. The worst-case scenario is that a trial proves unsuccessful, in which case a firm reverts to five days with valuable insights on productivity, employee experience and alternative business models. The best-case scenario is that law firms, lawyers and their clients begin reaping the benefits demonstrated in the UK trial data, while contributing meaningfully to the 'future of work' agenda.

Emma Haywood is a practising commercial solicitor and in-house legal consultant. She writes a monthly newsletter, The 4 Day Lawyer, focusing on the challenges and benefits of the four-day working week