Dentons to close two UK offices to accommodate home-working

International firm Dentons will close two UK offices – one in Aberdeen and the other in Watford – to assist with full-time working from home and reduce its real estate.

All partners and employees working at the two offices will continue to work remotely, with the option to work in Dentons’ Edinburgh and Milton Keynes offices when required. According to the firm there are no further plans to close any other offices at this time, although this will be reviewed in 2025 when the lease on its London office expires.

The changes to working arrangements following the UK’s lockdown are being reviewed by a project team. The international firm plans to make better use of technology and encourage a “more agile” way or resourcing work, according to the Law Gazette.

Managing director for the UK, Ireland and Middle East Lisa Sewell said: “We have seen far less use of paper, more self-service and confidence using new technology and no drop in productivity or service levels despite teams not being co-located 100% of the time.

“The success of remote working during lockdown has made us really stop and think about how we can learn from this new way of working to accelerate the physical and behavioural changes that form part of our strategy to build the law firm of the future. In that way, the lockdown has forced the behavioural shifts that are the basis of any real change of this type, so we want to use this to ensure we don't just assume we will return to the way we used to work post lockdown. It's an exciting shift for us, our people and for how we will be able to serve our clients in different ways in the future.”