International law firm will do away with annual associate performance reviews in favor of a new framework
RPC will do away with annual associate performance reviews in favor of a new framework just as the firm is also thinking of revamping associate compensation.
According to a report from The Lawyer, the annual associates’ performance review will be replaced by quarterly performance and professional development meetings with partners.
Coming into effect in September, the new performance review framework for associates will involve 10- to 15-minute meetings every two weeks to discuss the workload and future assignments of associates.
The system also requires partners to discuss “talent pipeline” including promotion opportunities in practices with HR business partners.
The framework will use an online system which an RPC HR manager said people in the firm “can use as much or as little as they like.”
The firm’s manager, Rachel Davis, said that the trade-off between time spent and value produced in the old system was unsatisfactory, prompting the revamp.
RPC’s latest moves are in line with a broader trend in UK law firms wanting to boost retention by looking at associate experiences in the workplace, The Lawyer noted.
The publication also said that RPC claimed the associate pay change is not connected to the performance review system update.
