Linklaters cancels annual partner conference as coronavirus hits Europe
Magic Circle law firm Linklaters has cancelled its annual partner conference in Berlin due to the spread of the coronavirus through Europe.
A spokesperson for the firm said today that the annual gathering its 480 partners scheduled for the end of April would now be held virtually.
“We have cancelled our annual partner meeting in Berlin and instead this will be held as a virtual meeting for the partners,” the spokesperson said.
The firm said it was encouraging its staff to work from home and using its experience from its Asia offices of dealing with the outbreak to inform its wider response.
“We have great technology to facilitate working from home and remotely and we are encouraging employees to test that.
“We have been dealing with this issue for five weeks in our Asian offices, with teams working from home or in split team fashion to reduce the number of people in the office at any one time and avoid peak commuting hours there,” the spokesperson said.
The firm said it was asking staff who had visited affected areas to work from home for 14 days before returning to the office.
Big Four accounting firm Deloitte today confirmed that a staff member in its London office contracted coronavirus on a trip to Asia.
It told staff yesterday that it was closing a floor of its office for a deep clean, but said it was not closing its One New Street Square offices in line with advice from Public Health England.
US law firm Latham & Watkins cancelled its partner gathering in New York last week because of the risk of contagion.