Given the current economic climate, many firms are taking much
longer than usual to make decisions on recruitment. This will
continue until they can see more consistency in work flow, however
on a positive note it seems that most restructurings have taken
place, 4 day weeks are coming to an end and that when firms
experience an upturn they will need to recruit
As a result of the restrictive market, our consultants are spending
as much of their time as possible talking to all these firms to
establish as early as possible where there may be vacancies either
imminently, or in the future. As a consequence of this we are not
able to see each and every lawyer as they register. We also need to
ask candidates to be as flexible as possible, whether this means
considering alternative work types or locations. Make sure we know
what is important to you and where the flexibilities lie.
To help us to help you as efficiently and accurately as we can, we
need to know as much as possible about what you're looking for,
when you qualify, what sort of work you want to do and where you
want to do it.
Whilst it would be impossible to predict exactly where roles will
emerge this year, looking at ongoing recruitment would be a strong
indication of the areas that are likely to be busier: Employment,
Litigation, Defendant PI have all remained relatively robust. There
are numerous considerations for Solicitors approaching
qualification and we have tried to deal with those raised most
frequently in the articles below:
This decision is critical to your future
career. Whilst it may be possible to retrain later, most people
remain in the area they qualify into for the rest of their legal
career. The decision also affects many things, including
- Your job mobility
- Your earning potential
- Your career potential
- The types of practices you can work for
- Whether you can work in-house at a later
stage, and crucially, how much you enjoy your career
Important considerations include:
Which seats you have enjoyed. Why you enjoyed the seat - it is
important to remove any issues relating to personality of
individuals, good or bad, as you are hoping to make the right long
term career decisions, not selecting who you might work with for
the next few months or years. Think about, and take advice on,
where this route might take you longer term. Will it allow your
career to evolve? Could it give you the earning potential you
desire? Could you get bored with it? If you have a clear preference
for one area of law, ask if you can return to that department for
your last seat. This not only gives you a better base of experience
from which to apply for new roles if you want to look at external
roles, but it can also confirm that you are making the right
decision. If you are genuinely interested in more then one area of
law it is perfectly possible to look for roles in both. Take advice
as to the potential availability of roles. If you are selecting a
particularly competitive area you may need to be more flexible
geographically or in terms of the nature of roles you're interested
in.
When do I start looking for a new job?
National / large regional practices - Most don't start their
internal selection process for September qualifying lawyers until
March / April, decisions being made in April / May.
Smaller / mid-tier firms - They are less structured in their
approach, many leaving it until later in the Summer.
Getting an early idea of the market Firms can often give internal
applicants an idea of where and how many roles there are likely to
be, often from mid-way through the 2nd year of training. This is
useful but doesn't guarantee a role. At this stage it may help to
speak to a recruitment consultant as they should be able to give
you a feel for the wider market and where they expect the roles to
be - by reference to discipline, geography and firm type. They
should also be able to give you an idea of timescales.
If you have already decided, irrespective of the availability of
any suitable roles, that you don't want to remain with your
practice then it may be sensible to speak to a consultant up to
nine months before you actually qualify. Their advice as to the
market, current opportunities and what that can mean for your
career longer term may help you shape your search. In turn this may
help in shaping the remainder of your training contract. It would
be unusual for there to be much activity, by way of considering
specific roles until Easter (for September qualification), however
they can start to prepare you for the move and advise on CV
content.
Stay On?
If however, there is a chance that you would like to remain with
your current practice make sure they know. Make it clear to both
Personnel and the Partners. They can't read your mind! In
considering if this is the best opportunity for you take into
account:
- The quality of work
- Clients - type, size, sector
- Training - consider both classroom and less
formal support
- Personal matters - location, salary, future
career opportunities, working hours, conditions
- Reputation of the practice for that work
type
Not Sure?
If you are not sure on any of these issues it's worth considering
what the wider market has to offer and comparing those
opportunities with the potential within your current practice. A
consultant should be able to give you an objective view of how your
firm compares to others within the market, along with their
reputation for your chosen area of work. It could be that external
roles can't offer you anything better than staying put, but at
least you will have the satisfaction of knowing that and hopefully
some peace of mind that you've made an informed decision that is
the best for you and your career in the current market!
What does a Consultancy do? How should it
work?
The role of a recruitment consultant is easy to define, but how
well it is done can vary enormously. They should:
- Advise on career choice and direction
- Advise on the market and opportunities
within it
- Assist with CV preparation
- Make applications on your behalf
- Brief / Coach you for any interviews
- Negotiate offers
- Advise you on the process between accepting
an offer and starting your new job
- Choosing the right Consultancy
It is critical that you find a recruitment company that can
represent you well. Making the right choice can not only make the
whole process easier but also significantly affect how successful
it is.
When choosing who to work with consider the following:
- Do they have someone specialising in the
geographical region in which you're looking to work?
- Have they got an established reputation
within the type of organisations you'd like to work for?
- Are they interested in finding out what
you're looking for and why you're looking for it? Only if they are
prepared to do this can they really advise on your career and
what's best for you personally. Ideally they will ask to meet
you.
Are they
recommended?
Whilst many recruitment companies have the same roles the companies
vary hugely in how they work and the quality of their
people. Sacco Mann can't stress enough how important it
is to find one that you feel can represent you the best and open
the doors for you, it's not just about sending a CV!
One consultancy?
If you have a very specific geographical remit you may well only
need to register with one recruitment company. If you select the
right one they should have the breadth and depth of contacts that
will remove the need to register with others. This means that you
keep full control of the process, there being no opportunity for
duplication of CV's. It also ensures that you receive clear and
unbiased career advice throughout.
Or more?
If you decide to register with more than one company ensure that
under no circumstances do they send your CV anywhere without your
consent. Ensure that approaches are for specific roles and with
your express consent. This is critical as duplication can be
detrimental to your prospects of securing an interview.
NB It is now illegal for any consultant to send your CV anywhere
without your consent!
Salaries / Benefits
Salaries:
General practices can pay considerably less but do vary. Again your
consultant will be able to advise on specific firms.
Salary will depend on the type of work you do: work for commercial
clients (eg Corporate/Commercial Property) will pay considerably
better than work typically done for individuals (eg Family /
Private Client).
Benefits:
National practices - have fully comprehensive packages and there
are few differences between them, the major benefits being:
Mid tier / niche commercial firms - most offer Pensions, some offer
Health Care, not many offer Critical Illness Cover or Flexible
Benefits schemes.
General practices - there is a huge variance in what benefits are
on offer. Stakeholder Pensions - the vast majority of firms who
don't have their own Pension Scheme must now offer access to a
Stakeholder Pension.
Transfer of training contract:
Although not common, it is possible to transfer training contracts.
The ability to do this really depends upon the nature of the
practice, their requirements and your experience, as well as the
availability of other candidates who may be able to qualify
earlier. Your recruitment consultant will be able to advise as to
the realistic prospects of achieving a transfer and what to look
out for in doing so.
Partnership Moves and Lateral Hires
As the Legal and IP markets have become increasingly competitive,
we have seen firms expect more from their Partners, and in turn
Partners (or those aspiring to Partnership), expect more from their
careers. This has naturally led to Partnership moves, or "Lateral
Hires" becoming more common, and is a field that we have
significant experience in.
Lateral Hires can take several
forms:
Equity Partner to Equity
Partner
These moves are popular, although you need to be sure that your
consultant is capable of dealing with the increased level of due
diligence required. Our experience tells us that the market is now
comfortable with this type of move and we can ensure that the
critical aspects of each individual 'deal' are identified and
addressed on both sides.
Equity to Salaried, Salaried to Salaried and Associate to
Partner
These moves are now the norm, and are on the face of it less
complex than Equity Partner moves, as they require no capital
buy-in and the relationship remains one of Employer and Employee
rather than Self-Employed. However, in many cases, this will be
viewed by both parties as a key appointment (often a final career
move) and requires specialist, bespoke advice to ensure that the
partnership opportunity within that particular practice is
tailor-made to suit that particular individual. Critical issues
will include personalities, the ethos of both practice and
prospective Partner, the short and long term objectives for both,
as well as financial considerations: ie how can that prospective
Partner provide the necessary business case to justify the
available budget? (Please see our article on "Building a Business
Case for Partnership"). Only when these are right is the 'deal'
likely to succeed, and succeed well.
Sacco Mann's expertise in this area allows us not only to bring the
right two parties together but also to be that 'active ingredient'
that helps identify how value can be added, helps isolate, address
and remove obstacles; essentially we give each potential deal the
chance to discover if it is 'right' and if so, to make it happen.
Whilst we do advertise partnership roles in our job search
function, their "tailor-made" nature often means that these roles
represent a starting point. Indeed, many of the Partnership moves
we have facilitated have arisen from confidential ongoing
discussions between our consultants, our clients, and aspiring
Partners who have instructed us to advise them of opportunities as
and when we see the beginnings of something appropriate to them. In
such cases, there is rarely a need to advertise.
If you have Partnership aspirations, you're already a Partner but
you're looking for something different, or indeed you are thinking
of recruiting into your existing Partnership, contact one of our
experienced consultants. Each of us will be happy to elaborate on
how these moves work and discuss, in total confidence, the sort of
opportunities that could "fit" each individual's
circumstances.