Regional law firm Ashton KCJ has made bespoke paid time off (PTO) a permanent feature of its staff benefits package, following a nine-month trial period.

PTO is intended to be a more flexible alternative to traditional annual paid leave based on a set number of days off.

In addition to holidays, the new approach also encompasses compassionate leave for bereavement and study leave for those seeking to add to their professional skills.

Ashton KCJ said feedback following the trial had been “extremely positive”, and the firm now offered seven of the 10 most desired benefits as voted for in a recent survey in The Times.

Chief executive Edward O’Rourke said: “We firmly believe that law firms wishing to thrive in the future need to be innovative, both in the way they attract and retain legal talent and in the way in which they meet clients’ legal needs.

“Our focus needs to move towards overall productivity, client satisfaction and results rather than the number of holiday days taken so I am delighted to see that since introducing the PTO policy we have seen staff productivity being up in the first six months of the financial year compared to the same time last year.”

Ashton KCJ employs 320 people in East Anglia, with offices in Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe and Thetford.