A leading London law firm has instructed its secretarial staff to monitor lawyers’ office attendance more closely amid ongoing challenges in enforcing in-person work policies following the pandemic. Rahman Ravelli, a specialist firm in white-collar crime, has taken a notably stringent approach by directing personal assistants to track whether fee earners are actually present in the office after stating they would be.

In an internal memo circulated by Syedur Rahman, a senior partner with over two decades of experience in serious fraud and financial crime cases, management expressed doubt about the effectiveness of requesting lawyers to pre-commit to daily attendance. Rahman described this method as insufficient and called for a more rigorous strategy to address discrepancies between reported and actual presence.

The memo, titled “Staff whereabouts,” detailed concerns about staff claiming to be in the office but not arriving by a specified time, such as 10 a.m. Rahman suggested secretarial teams hold meetings to devise credible measures for verifying attendance and stressed the importance of accuracy in the information provided by fee earners. He emphasized that failure to enforce the policy strictly would hinder efforts to resolve the issue, implying that closer scrutiny and potential consequences could prompt compliance.

Law firms across London’s legal sector have wrestled with returning staff to office environments since the widespread shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many have adopted hybrid arrangements, expectations vary. Larger firms, often referred to as “magic circle” practices, generally require lawyers to be on-site three days per week, whereas some major U.S.-based firms maintain expectations of four office days weekly. In contrast, smaller and regional firms tend to provide more flexibility, typically asking staff to attend two to three days per week.

These divergent policies have reflected different management philosophies, with some firms reporting positive staff reception to more flexible routines. For example, Osborn Clark, a firm known for advising technology clients, instituted a bonus scheme linked to a minimum of three days in the office, signaling a financial incentive tied to physical attendance.

Rahman Ravelli's hardline approach marks a departure from more permissive policies and highlights the ongoing tension within legal workplaces searching for a balance between flexibility and presence. The firm was contacted for comment but has yet to respond.