Fierce competition heats up legal recruitment in London

Why does competition seem more intense than ever for lawyers looking to move roles in 2021?

Those lawyers looking at a private practice move and those considering in house will face different obstacles:

Private Practice

Many legal recruiters’ have claimed for the past 9 months that business was proceeding as normal, this is no longer just a case of wishful thinking. There is activity in PE, restructuring, US securities and more at the upper end of the market.

More jobs make it easier to move though?!

This is true.

There are more open positions with law firms right now than there have been since the start of the pandemic, many law firms have proved exceptionally resilient, and a number have truly flourished.

The opportunities that are open are largely centred in already hot practice areas where many firms are similarly under-resourced. This means there is not a glut of active “appropriate” candidates ready to step in to fill the gap. Top tier US firms for example usually hire from MC or possibly Silver Circle firms at associate level, so they will not have access to the whole of the market to choose from unless they amend their hiring parameters.

If you happen to be at an elite firm in a hot practice area as a junior or mid-level associate and wish for a similar lateral change, congratulations, this piece does not apply to you. For lawyers outside of this small group or those looking to move with less vanilla CV’s or to relocate the market has become fiercely competitive. Those looking to move within a less busy practice area, for example real estate, will find there are far fewer options open to them than in a normal market. When those opportunities do arise, there are more candidates looking for various reasons and it is increasingly challenging to secure an interview and get the job.

In House

There are just far fewer in-house roles across the board than there were before. Some clients have amended their hiring procedures for the worse, lowering salaries offered or advertising directly without appropriate screening or follow up measures in place. This makes the marketplace less pleasant to function in for many, particularly for those in the middle of it.

Recruitment Maths:

fewer positions + more candidates = greater competition

Some truly excellent candidates have not made it to offer stage over the past few months and the margins for clients making those decisions have been incredibly slim.

There have been a number of companies reducing headcount, not just within travel and other obvious sectors. Also, in 2021 legal still isn’t valued highly enough in some organisations?!?! This leads to clashes and exits and often decisions to reduce permanent legal numbers, everyone loses in this scenario. Strong in house lawyers save money and are good for your business, hire and retain them!!!

A generally tight market coupled with more active job seekers mean sometimes it is a coin toss whether you will get a position even if you have near perfect experience and present well over video conference.

Solution: Work with Ken Collins London’s number 1 legal recruiter

Solution: Stay consistent

Know the types of opportunities open to you that you are best suited for. Focus on these, make sure LinkedIn reflects your relevant experience for these positions specifically, speak to your network, law firm partners, a small selection of relevant recruiters and keep an eye on job boards just in case. The odds are that over a long enough timeline if you are consistently focusing in the right place opportunities will present and convert.