Legal Private Practice

Our wide-ranging UK and international network of elite firms means we have the relationships and influence to help you secure your next legal job. Our specialists have a wealth of knowledge across the sector to attract best in class talent and place professionals in exclusive private practice jobs.

OUR LEGAL PRIVATE PRACTICE EXPERTISE

Our distinguished legal private practice team possess a wealth of experience in successfully facilitating placements of legal professionals, from newly qualified (NQ) positions to Partners and their teams, in reputable law firms on a global scale. By leveraging our comprehensive understanding of the legal sector and established network of lawyers we’re able to provide best-in-class services to law firms and adeptly manage the attraction of top talent.

2024 Legal Private Practice market outlook

We spoke to Emma Delli-Boviabout the state of the Legal Private Practice market and what firms and professionals need to be aware of, and plan for throughout 2024. Emma also shares advice on how firms can attract and retain top talent and the importance of business development as a key skill for legal professionals. Looking for support with your legal hiring strategy, or for a new opportunity, contact Emma. What specific trends have you seen in your market?At the start of 2024, we’ve seen some strong regional growth as law firms and specific teams at firms have become more location agnostic. This has opened up opportunities for top talent in the regional markets to have the opportunity to either work closer with their London counter-parts / partners on exciting deals, or actually work remotely for London firms and US / Magic Circle practices. Obviously, this opens up a discussion about London vs regional salaries, and with this set up happening more often, how much is really fair…but that’s a conversation for a different day!We’ve seen salaries start to stabilise following an increase in NQ rates. This has subsequently led to a change in candidate behaviour. Previously being motivated predominately by money, candidates are now considering a more holistic approach to their job search, prioritising also flexible / hybrid working, a supportive culture and a less stressful environment. Throughout 2023, there was a tightening of belts across the sector with lawyers over-worked and little prospect of budget for new hires to ease that. This led to increased disengagement and dissatisfaction amongst professionals, with stress cited as one of the main motivators for moving roles. It’ll be interesting to see if there is any slight change to this in 2024.There’s been a slight shift when it comes to client delivery. Clients want the best possible service for money and are therefore scrutinising every billable hour. Some of the practices we adopted during the pandemic such as, video conferencing and meetings, have all led to some savings when it comes to time and travel, but will this be enough? Continued use of virtual working and a focus on business efficiencies will also be impacted by the use of legal technology, which is definitely an ongoing trend. Thankfully, the adoption of a lot of these processes has helped when it comes to ESG strategies and commitments, which is good news all round!What factors have affected talent attraction and retention in the past 12 months?Talent attraction has been really interesting over the past 12 months, in a market where your salary is not going to help you stand out from the crowd, what do you do? We’ve seen firms use various tactics to try and attract talent, such as a focus on promoting 'most published deals', their ESG strategies and flexible working policies. We’ve also seen firms invest more in support function roles, such as marketing and business development (BD), to elevate their brand in a highly saturated market.In addition, there has been a massive M&A slump and so corporate and transactional disciplines, and their focus on recruitment, have been hit hard. Accordingly to Vacancysoft there has been a 58.2% decline in these vacancies. The economic climate hasn’t helped, especially with the rise of inflation, increased cost of borrowing and the war in Ukraine, leading to businesses either deciding to sit tight thereby causing stagnation in the market, or pull out of investments completely. With a drop in M&A deals, there is a knock-on effect for real estate, employment and commercial law headcount.With salaries stabilising, professionals are now considering more than just money when it comes to a move. Factors such as mental health and wellbeing are being cited as a key driver for those considering a move. Workloads remain very high despite there being fewer jobs and with the use of a 'one team' mentality, firms are looking to associate pools in different locations to share the load, instead of hiring additional people. Counter-offers are still rife, as businesses recognise that it's more cost effective to retain their workforce as opposed to hiring new talent. However, these are less likely to be accepted, as role changes are often motivated by more than renumeration.Flexible working policies being set in stone has also caused some market movement, with policies not always aligning with what people need. Which roles are most likely to be in demand in 2024 and why?Looking ahead to the new financial year, we anticipate the M&A market to return as deal levels increase, which means a slow and steady return of corporate and transactional roles. From a strategic point of view, once those deals start rolling in, firms are likely to want and need a pool of strong associates to support the team with that increased workload. It’s not a case of “if” it’s a case of “when” and so firms who are planning ahead, will be in the best position.There is also a high chance we’ll see an upturn in the need for insolvency and restructuring lawyers as the markets start moving. We might see businesses need to dissolve or restructure depending on their financial situation, especially with regards to interest rates and inflation.With the increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) there is likely to be an increase in the need for technology savvy experts and IT lawyers. Cost savings and excellent client delivery will remain a priority, so lawyers with knowledge of cybersecurity and data protection will be in-demand.Lateral partner hiring is also likely to increase, there has definitely been a good level of movement during 2023, but after a slow year for most firms, aggressive growth will likely be a focal point. Senior hires with portable practices will be in demand, as a great way to increase revenue for firms. What skills are in-demand for professionals wanting to work in this market?Experience of using AI in order to increase efficiencies will remain important. Strong communication skills will also be essential, especially for firms which operate in a location agnostic fashion, thus being able to communicate effectively with colleagues and clients in different offices and across different mediums, will be key.If you are a lawyer with strong business development (BD) and/or sales expertise, you will be in demand! Based on the current market, there is likely to be a continued upturn when it comes to firms expanding their sales and BD functions, meaning that lawyers who are hot on BD are going to be worth investing in! If you are someone with this skill set, I’d urge you to make it clear either on your LinkedIn profile, or your CV.What do clients and professionals need to be aware of?I think we have all been surprised at the adaptability and resilience shown by the legal sector in the past three years, and despite the numerous challenges faced by the market, the sector has met the challenges head on! With that being said, I don’t think we’ll see a slowdown of changes this year – just to keep everyone on their toes.The rise of AI will be prevalent across all sectors. Lawyers and firms are already using AI to a certain extent, such as using automation to produce briefs, but we anticipate things will go a step where firms will increasingly use legal tech to analyse contracts. With the continuous need to provide clients with a better value service, using legal tech to improve communications and reduce travel, will be a must.I also think there will be a shift in billable hours. For many years, the billable hour has been how firms charge their clients, and I don’t think this will be completely phased out. However, I do think there will be a shift when using this model for default payments. There’s a suggestion that this approach puts too much focus on the way firms are charging clients, rather than the service people are receiving. As we see more clients demand an improved service and more value for money, rather than the relationships they have, something has got to give! What therefore might come is more of an acceptance of using fixed fees or alternative charging models. These new ways of “packaging” legal services, will become more of a focus for our clients over the coming years. There is also likely to be a focus on BD / marketing functions. Every client we speak to still has transformational growth at the top of their agenda, and so achieving this will become really important. During a turbulent past 12 months it’s been difficult for firms to know where and how to spend their money, with some thinking it’s better to sit tight and ride out the storm, rather than risk making a bad investment. However, those who have bold ambitions to grow will likely focus on building out sales and marketing functions who can help capitalise client relations and strengthen brand awareness.In addition to the above, organic growth will be heavily influenced by retaining top talent, heavily influenced by supporting career development and investing in people – this will undoubtedly help firms hit those punchy growth targets.About EmmaEmma is a Senior Legal Recruitment Consultant with over 15 years’ experience in the legal sector, appointing top quality legal talent into law firms nationally – ranging from Magic Circle, to international, national and boutique. Emma has spent the last decade cultivating and developing strong relationships with firms and professionals, and therefore has an excellent understanding of the sector specialisms.Emma has successfully made senior and challenging hires through the use of Executive Search and Selection, as well as contingency recruitment; therefore being able to offer each client a bespoke service.For advice on the Legal Private Practice market, support with your hiring strategy or guidance on finding a new role, contact Emma.

The risks of e-presenteeism in the legal profession

Coined in the mid-nineties, the phenomenon of ‘presenteeism’, where work pressures have caused employees to be present regardless of illness, injury or other conditions, sometimes at the detriment of their performance, isn’t new. The last few years have seen a drastic change to the working styles of many. Yet not only has the issue of presenteeism persisted, with 87% of those surveyed in CIPD’s report observing it over the last year, and 63% seeing ‘leaveism’ i.e. working outside contracted hours or using holiday entitlement to work (CIPD: 2023 Health and wellbeing at work report), remote working styles have morphed it into its digital counterpart, e-presenteeism.This is particularly evident in the legal sector, with professionals feeling the pressure to ‘always be available and present’. Known for its fast paced environment with tight deadlines and demanding business and client requirements, it’s no surprise that a survey conducted by YouGov, across more than 100 UK lawyers, found that “nine in 10 lawyers have experienced stress or burnout at work – with more than a quarter suffering on a daily basis” (The Law Society Gazette: One in four lawyers suffer daily stress). Mental health and wellbeing have become one of the biggest challenges for the profession, with “almost two thirds of lawyers [feeling] their job has had a negative impact on their mental and physical heath, [as well as] less than 25% feeling supported by their firm when they are stressed or burnt out” (The Law Society Gazette: One in four lawyers suffer daily stress).Below, we look at how remote working has exacerbated an already existing culture of presenteeism within the legal profession, and what businesses can do to build a better, more sustainable working culture both in and out of the home.Remote challengesHybrid working is the new reality for a lot of firms and has been a game changer for implementing autonomy and flexibility. Parents are more likely able to make the school run, and those who once faced the challenges of commuting five days a week, now only have to contend with it minimally. Yet, recent findings aren’t all positive. Despite the new freedom, over half of UK employees (53%) have done their job in the last three months despite not feeling well, up from 46% in 2022 (CIPD: 2023 Health and wellbeing at work views of employees).Stemming from a culture of presenteeism, legal professionals working remotely now feel additional pressure to be online even beyond work hours. Studies show those who work from home work a significantly longer day: “data from NordLayer shows workers in UK, Austria, Canada and the US logged on to their computer for more than two hours a day more than pre-pandemic”(Guardian: Home workers putting in more hours since Covid). A further study by Bloomberg found that workers across the UK and US were typically logged on for 11 hours a day – up from nine hours in the UK and eight in the US before lockdowns began in March 2020 (Bloomberg: Remote working’s longer hours are new normal for many). Remote working has blurred the boundaries between work and home, leading to skipped lunches, later finishes and sometimes even reduced quality of work. The billable hourAlready contested in the sphere by those looking to tackle burnout, e-presenteeism and the billable hour are a perfect storm in the legal profession. “The advent of increased technology and innovations such as cloud-based systems haven’t created the flexibility and agility many hoped for, but simply created more ways to work and be contacted”(New Law journal: E-presenteeism: are we taking a step backwards?), and this is particularly evident in a profession where people work a chargeable hour. With constant billing pressure and an obligation of being digitally available at all hours, legal professionals are at particular risk of e-presenteeism, sparking a renewed urgency in reviewing the billable hour structure.The fix In an effort to combat fatigue and burnout, 2022 saw more than 60 companies across the UK trial a four day work week – the experiment ran for six months. On its conclusion, more than 90% of participating businesses opted to continue with the four day week, with 18 adopting it permanently. To add to that, business revenue stayed broadly the same but with a 65% reduction in the number of sick days and 71% of employees reporting lower levels of burnout (World economic forum: 2023 Four day work week trial results). Whilst completely overhauling the working week may be too big a change for some businesses, there are other ways of combatting the burnout that comes from e-presenteeism.Law firms, and in-house departments in particular, need to build a culture of trust. Understanding that the goal is productivity, not attendance, is the key to unlocking sustainable work styles across an organisation. When professionals can trust that their performance will be judged by targets reached as opposed to how late they appear online, healthier habits will start to emerge.Similarly, managers need to be diligent in ensuring realistic targets are set in an achievable timescale, avoiding professionals feeling pressured to work unhealthy hours to meet deadlines. This is where training and support for line managers is particularly beneficial. The CIPD report that a, “lack of line manager skills and confidence is the most common challenge for employee wellbeing, and ‘management style’ remains among the top causes of stress related absence” (CIPD: 2023 Health and wellbeing at work report). Managers can play a huge role in dismantling a culture of e-presenteeism. When equipped with the tools and awareness needed, they can foster an environment where employees feel trusted and empowered. Moreover, once firms stop celebrating the ‘always on’ attitude, or praising workers for overtime, the incentive diminishes.Though training managers is a long term fix, there are resources available to aid this in the short term. Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) for example, can be introduced with minimal setup. The CIPD go on to report the rise of EAPs for all or some employees, with 75% of businesses surveyed using them (CIPD: 2023 Health and wellbeing at work report). These resources allow access to impartial advice for employees at all hours, and cover everything from work, home and health. They can be particularly powerful tools to help businesses build a culture of trust and positive wellbeing, where employees feel their health is being valued and supported in the right way. Firms looking to develop and retain talent need to treat e-presenteeism as a top priority. It’s time to end the culture that saw professionals sitting at their desks simply because leads and / or managers were still in the office. Instead, management need to look at what people contribute to the organisation, and whether they are meeting specific goals and targets, as opposed to reviewing hours spent on a laptop. For advice and insights on how to attract and retain top talent or grow your business, contact a specialist IDEX consultant today.Sources:Bloomberg: Remote working’s longer hours are new normal for manyCIPD: 2023 Health and wellbeing at work reportCIPD: 2023 Health and wellbeing at work views of employeesGuardian: Home workers putting in more hours since CovidThe Law Society Gazette: One in four lawyers suffer daily stressNew Law journal: E-presenteeism: are we taking a step backwards?Omnipresent: 2022 Digital presenteeism: a guide for employersWorld economic forum: 2023 Four day work week trial results