You may have seen our recent blog on the growing trend of “northshoring” within the legal sector. While it certainly is the case that more firms are choosing to base at least part of their operations away from the capital, some are choosing to revamp their existing offering, as Berwin Leighton Paisners (BLP) imminent office consolidation highlights.

The firm is choosing to unite its two London-based teams, relocating its employees in St Magnus House to the larger base at Adelaide House by the end of 2016. The reason behind this move is an interesting one. While BLP offers agile working to its workforce in the capital, it’s not yet as readily available as it is in its Manchester office, with requests having to be balanced against the business’ needs. A BLP spokesperson suggested that following the move there “would be an increased opportunity for more flexible working” which would include “initiatives already being embraced by our lawyers across different practice groups.”

The idea of undertaking a large-scale, and probably stressful, office move solely for the reason of encouraging more flexible working would have been scoffed at a matter of years ago, but really it highlights the growth in demand for this type of employment. Working on an agile basis has grown hugely in popularity, partly from demand from millennials, but also because it fits in with professionals’ increasingly busy personal lives. Offering this sort of benefit to staff means that those who do have family commitments, which would prevent them from working traditionally, may stay with a firm when they have previously been forced to leave.

However, it’s not just the younger generations or returning mothers, for example, that can benefit. As BLP managing partner Lisa Mayhew, has outlined, agile working appeals to a much wider range of people and can even help the firm to attract professionals that it previously may not have been able to lure. “When we first started part of the proposition was that you can come and work flexibly in our Manchester office. We do have very experienced lawyers and paralegals there, but it suits their personal circumstances to work different hours in a different way. We have people working from home and people working flexible hours. We found it brought people through the door that we would usually not get. We found that (agile working) has been a successful part of bringing people through the door and keeping them.”

Many of you reading this may be shaking your heads wondering how anything gets done at firms that do offer flexible working. After all, aren’t those professionals working from home simply lying on the sofa sporadically checking emails and simply pretending to look busy? In actual fact, it could aid productivity. A recent report by UK think tank, The Smith Institute, suggests that ‘presenteeism’ should be a thing of the past and that in fact, professionals that do work longer hours in the office aren’t being as effective as they once were. And if this strategy can aid staff retention as well as attracting new pools of talent and potentially driving greater productivity, wouldn’t it be in other legal firms’ best interests to adopt a similar approach?

Do you think more legal firms will adopt flexible or agile working? Read more about agile working here and see if agile working is the key to attracting legal talent.

To read our other blogs, click here or if you are on the search for your dream role, click here.

Sourcing legal talent has always been a concern for law firms, however according to the Law Consultancy Network, recruitment and retention is the single biggest challenge facing law firms over the next twelve months.

The survey, which was produced in partnership with the Law Gazette, found that 50% of law firms identify recruitment and retention as one of the top three challenges facing them in 2017. Cash flow was the second most cited challenge, with 21% of all firms surveyed indicting this would be a challenge over the next year. Respondents also highlighted improving profitability, succession planning and growth as key concerns for the New Year.

Commenting on the findings Andrew Otterburn, Partner at Otterburn Legal Consulting and member of the Law Consultancy Network said, “It is interesting to see that once again the key issue is recruitment and retention of staff – the key issue for most firms over the last two or three years. Cashflow and profitability is also a major issue, and many firms are vulnerable to any slowdown in property, which has boosted income in recent years. It is important that firms build a reasonably strong cash position now, in advance of any potential slowdown.”

Somewhat surprisingly, political uncertainty was only the third most cited option, with just 18% of respondents indicating that it is one of their top three strategic concerns for the next year. However, it is clear that Brexit remains a long term concern for most law firms, with 74% of respondents indicating they are either ‘slightly’ or ‘very’ concerned about the impact Brexit could potentially have. Just one in four respondents claim that they aren’t concerned about the effect of Brexit on their business.

Two thirds of respondents had considered the possibility of a merger in the last six months, the highest figure recorded since the second half of 2014. Firms are also more optimistic about the potential of a merger taking place, with the number of approaches made or received up from 42 in the previous half to 47 in the latter half of 2016.

It’s unsurprising that recruitment and retention of top legal talent is a key concern for law firms. As the legal market becomes increasingly crowded, legal employers need to ensure they are able to create effective talent pipelines and prevent leading lawyers from moving to other firms, after all their profitability depends on the hard work of their partners and associates.

What are the key concerns for your law firm in 2018?

Read out blog for our 8 steps to successfully recruiting legal talent.

To discuss your recruitment needs with one of our experts, call the office on 01772 259121 or email enquiries@clayton-legal.co.uk or Register a Vacancy directly online.

Less than a year after the UK decided to leave the European Union, we undertook an in-depth analysis of the employment market for private practice lawyers across the UK to gauge the impact Brexit was having. And our research was featured widely in not only the legal press – including the Global Legal Post and Lawyer Monthly – but also in recruitment publications such as Recruitment International and Global Recruiter. But what did our research reveal? Here’s an overview from our managing director, Lynn Sedgwick:

While our data reveals that vacancy levels across the UK have fallen in all regions year-on-year (13%), it is by no means all doom and gloom. In fact, there are certain specialisms that are bucking this trend and performing exceptionally well. Personal injury lawyers have been increasingly called on in response to the proposed cap on whiplash claims which has resulted in drivers rushing to get their claims through the courts. And the UK’s ageing population has translated into unprecedented demand for wills and probate specialists across the entire country.

Lawyers reticent to move job in current environment
While the fall in advertised positions is, on first glance, a less than optimistic picture, it can be attributed to lawyers being reticent to move roles in an environment of uncertainty. While some lawyers are less committed to a career move the hiring picture as a while remains very healthy. And our conversations with our clients clearly demonstrates this. Many firms are hiring lawyers for newly created positions due to increased workloads instead of replacement hires that are associated with specialists moving between firms. And as Brexit becomes more of a ‘business as usual’ scenario, we’re confident the ‘wait and see’ approach will pass.

For more insights from the team visit our website or to receive a copy of our comprehensive research get in touch today.

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Less than a year after the UK decided to leave the European Union, we undertook an in-depth analysis of the employment market for private practice lawyers across the UK to gauge the impact Brexit was having.  Our research was featured widely in the press – including Swindon Business News. Here’s an overview of the piece including quotes from our managing director, Lynn Sedgwick, had to say:

Private practice lawyer vacancies in the South West have fallen by 11% over the past year as the sector starts to suffer from uncertainty, according to a new survey.

However, the decline is less than the national picture – the data from specialist recruiter Clayton Legal shows vacancies across the UK as whole falling by 14%.

The firm says the fall in advertised positions could largely be down to lawyers not wanting to move jobs in an environment of uncertainty.

Despite the overall picture, there was a huge requirement for lawyers specialising in personal injury and employment in the South West with vacancies in these roles rising by 27%.

The survey, compiled from the recruiter’s comprehensive data on advertised roles, reveals increased demand in these areas not only reflects increased workloads but also a skills shortage caused by lawyers staying in their current positions for longer as uncertainty caused by Brexit takes hold.

Clayton Legal managing director Lynn Sedgwick said: “Almost a year has passed since the UK decided to leave the EU and while we have certainly seen lawyers being less committed to a career move, the hiring picture across the South West remains generally healthy.

“And while there is clearly caution around Brexit, we are also seeing a change in the recruitment strategies of our clients. Many firms are hiring lawyers for newly created positions due to increased workloads instead of replacement hires that are associated with specialists moving between firms. And as Brexit becomes more of a ‘business as usual’ scenario, we’re confident the ‘wait and see’ approach will pass.”

The firm’s data also reveals the regional variations in vacancy decline. London has experienced the most acute drop with available roles down 26% year-on-year, while the North West and the South East also experienced declines – 18% and 4% respectively.

The Midlands was the only region to buck the trend – vacancy levels there remained static year-on-year.

For more insights from the team visit our website or to receive a copy of our comprehensive research get in touch today.

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Less than a year after the UK decided to leave the European Union, we’ve been busy preparing our latest in-depth analysis of the employment market for private practice lawyers across the UK to gauge the impact Brexit has had.  So what has our data revealed? And what does this mean for the sector?

Nationwide vacancies fall

While our data reveals that vacancy levels across the UK have fallen in all regions year-on-year (13%), it is by no means all doom and gloom. In fact, there are certain specialisms that are bucking this trend and performing exceptionally well. Personal injury lawyers have been increasingly called on in response to the proposed cap on whiplash claims which has resulted in drivers rushing to get their claims through the courts.  And the UK’s ageing population has translated into unprecedented demand for wills and probate specialists across the entire country.

Lawyers reticent to move job in current environment

While the fall in advertised positions is, on first glance, a less than optimistic picture, it can be attributed to lawyers being reticent to move roles in an environment of uncertainty.  While some lawyers are less committed to a career move the hiring picture as a whole remains very healthy. And our conversations with our clients clearly demonstrates this. Many firms are hiring lawyers for newly created positions due to increased workloads instead of replacement hires that are associated with specialists moving between firms.  And as Brexit becomes more of a ‘business as usual’ scenario, we’re confident the ‘wait and see’ approach will pass.

Check back next week for our next blog where we’ll be focusing on the regional demand for private practice lawyers. And if you can’t wait that long contact us today to get your hands on the full report.

For more insights from the team visit our website.

©Depositphotos.com/newartgraph

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Clayton Legal Managing Director, Lynn Sedgwick, has commented on our latest survey results in Lawyer Monthly. The article highlighted some of the key insights and trends taken from our comprehensive data review including:

• Vacancies for private practice lawyers have fallen by 13% year-on-year.
• London has experienced the steepest decline with available roles down 26% year-on-year.
• Lawyers specialising in family law were in particular demand across the South and North East where vacancies were up 50% and 65% respectively.
• Personal Injury specialists have also been highly sought after with advertised roles up by 27% in the South West.

Lynn said, “Almost a year has passed since the UK decided to leave the EU and while we have certainly seen lawyers being less committed to a career move, the hiring picture as a whole remains generally healthy.  And while there is clearly caution around Brexit, we are also seeing a change in the recruitment strategies of our clients.  Many firms are hiring lawyers for newly created positions due to increased workloads instead of replacement hires that are associated with specialists moving between firms.  And as Brexit becomes more of a ‘business as usual’ scenario, we’re confident the ‘wait and see’ approach will pass.”

To read the piece in full click here.

For more insights from the Clayton Legal team visit our blog. And if you’re looking for a career move take a look at our vacancies here.

©depositphotos.com/4zeva

Lynn Sedgwick, Managing Director at Clayton Legal, recently featured in Totally Legal on a different route into the profession: the paralegal apprenticeship. Here’s what she had to say.

If one thing is clear, it’s that university is no longer a requirement for aspiring lawyers. Calls to improve social mobility, in what has long been seen as a highly selective profession, have led many firms to review their recruitment processes – which have been criticised for favouring students from Russell Group universities – and explore options to improve their apprenticeship programmes.

The introduction of apprenticeship programmes

In moves championed by the government, Eversheds Sutherland, Addleshaw Goddard, and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have all introduced apprenticeship programmes which offer A-Level students an alternative route into the legal profession. Indeed, in a related, but arguably more radical change to increase route into the profession, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, is now allowing individuals to be admitted as solicitors under its “equivalent means” system, provided that they have the right quality and quantity of experience.

Addleshaw Goddard’s new solicitor apprenticeship programme, which will be run in conjunction with BPP University Law School, will see apprentices become part of the firm’s transaction services team (TST) after just six years. The TST – which was established to help reduce the administrative burden on associates, allowing them to focus on client-facing matters – has grown steadily since its launch and now has a total of 134 paralegals. Paralegals in the TST complete complex administrative and process driven work, and play a crucial role in an increasingly competitive, and cost driven legal marketplace.

The programme combines funded part-time study and in-house training, with apprentices rotating across a number of practice areas. After completing the six-year programme, successful apprentices will be awarded a LLB (Hons) degree, and after assessment by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, will also qualify as a solicitor.

Apprentices get the chance to immediately experience the workplace

Commenting on the new apprenticeships, Mike Potter, Partner and Head of the Transaction Services Team said, “The solicitor programme is standout in giving the apprentices immediate experience of the workplace, and is an excellent alternative to the traditional university route to qualification. It will shape the future of careers in the legal sector.”

These comments echo a consensus which is slowly, but steadily, being adopted by many leading legal practices. Law firms have long endeavoured to increase female representation within their organisations, however if practices want to feel the true benefits of a diverse culture, they need to embrace initiatives to improve social mobility.

With research from Byfield Consultancy finding that more than 80 % of legal trainees at the top 50 UK firms were from Russell Group universities, it is clear that the profession has a long way to go. However, apprenticeship schemes such as Addleshaw Goddard’s six year paralegal programme, and Eversheds Sutherland’s level seven trailblazer initiative, are a positive sign of shifting attitudes towards qualification routes within the profession. Paralegal apprenticeships provide aspiring legal professionals with the opportunity to gain experience and a qualification simultaneously, the pioneering firms championing them will undoubtedly reap the benefits of a more diverse and engaged workforce.

For more insights from the Clayton Legal team visit our blog. And if you’re looking for a career move take a look at our vacancies here.

©depositphotos.com/kataklinger

With the snap General Election just around the corner, the legal press has been full of commentators discussing the impact this could have on the profession. Our Managing Director, Lynn Sedgwick, recently took part in Lawyer Monthly’s Your Thoughts feature which discussed this very topic.

To see the piece in full – which includes commentators from Thortons, HFW, Aaron & Partners LLP and Vista – click here. Here’s what Lynn had to say on the subject:

“The announcement that we are to face an election in just a few short weeks has come as a shock especially since Theresa May has, on several occasions, said that a General Election wouldn’t be until 2020. However, given the huge uncertainty in the air that Brexit has caused, a win for the Conservatives and a clear mandate behind May, should enable the new government to effectively focus on negotiations for a post Brexit Britain.  There are so many ‘ifs, buts and maybes’ surrounding our future relationship with Europe – from trade deals to freedom of movements laws – so I am hopeful that a win for the Tories with a larger majority behind them can only be a good thing for businesses and professionals in the UK. However, a reduction in their overall majority could potentially make ongoing negotiations a rocky road.”

For more insights from the Clayton Legal team visit our blog. And if you’re looking for a career move take a look at our vacancies here.

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Hardly a day seems to go by within the legal profession without some piece of publicity about, or new initiative around, workforce diversity. But while almost everyone would agree that this trend is a good thing and that the profession should offer equal opportunity to all whatever their gender, social background, ethnicity, etc, how many of us really understand that there is also a compelling business case shoring up altruistic motives?

The reason why many of the very largest firms have been devoting so much time, effort and cash to building more diverse workforces is not because they have experienced some unexpected attack of niceness, but because they grasped some while ago that this makes good business sense.

The business case for diversity

In the days when the great majority of customers for legal services were white, middle class males, who had attended similar schools and universities it may have been sensible if many law firm partners looked exactly the same. But the world has changed. And when partners at major firms found themselves in meetings with potential clients from every corner of the globe and from backgrounds as far away from the English private school system as it’s possible to get, they quickly got the message that the cosy, old arrangements of the past might no longer be fit for purpose.

However the business principles behind diversity are not simply the province of the ‘Magic Circle’ and its peers. Firstly, no organisation can genuinely understand and respond to what motivates its customer base unless it mirrors it, at least to some extent. Secondly, diversity is often the source of new and innovative​ideas and approaches – something that every firm needs to embrace in this age where traditional ways of operating can be rendered obsolete virtually overnight. And finally, ignoring the potential of diversity and simply recruiting the same people from the same places you always have is transparently self-defeating. The best talent is the best talent, no matter what it looks or sounds like or where it happened to be educated.

Achieving workforce diversity and accessing the commercial benefits that it can bring does not have to be the daunting challenge it is often portrayed as. An open mind and a willingness to look beyond the obvious to what an individual can really offer can achieve an awful lot without any investment in glossy, formal programmes or initiatives. And once the diversity gets started its momentum can end up doing your job for you. As the barrister and diversity campaigner, Miranda Brawn puts it, the key is for individuals from what might be regarded as disadvantaged groups to see role models across the profession in firms of all sizes. Because if they can see people like themselves in senior positions, the brightest and best will do everything they need to do to emulate them. And that can only be good for talented lawyers and the firms that will gain commercial advantage by hiring and developing them.

For more insights from the team take a look at our other blog posts. And if you’d like to discuss your hiring requirement speak to us today.

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Very few people go into the law because they see it as some sort of ‘soft’ career option (and if they do, they very quickly get disavowed of that notion). Yes, the rewards, both financial and professional can be very attractive but it calls for a level of commitment and dedication that can make other alternatives look rather easy in comparison.

But how do you make the most of the opportunities open to you? Is it down to academic brilliance, social skills or, as a study by UCL school of Management seemed to suggest, how physically attractive you are? According to a new book by Angela Duckworth, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the US, the answer to all these appears to be ‘no’. Instead, she argues, the secret of success is what she calls ‘grit’.

Resilience, determination and never give up!

Grit (as anyone who has seen the John Wayne film, ‘True Grit’ or its recent incomprehensible remake, will know) embodies the qualities of hard resilience, determination and a refusal to give up. Yes, folks, although unfashionable in this age when reality TV suggests that the route to fame and fortune is a quick and easy one, the message from Professor Duckworth is that there are few things more powerful than a willingness to work long and hard.

Having made a sustained examination on what gets people to the top in a wide variety of sectors including education, the military, commerce and industry and the professions, the common factors are motivation and, crucially, stamina. Or, as the American professor with the suspiciously British surname puts it, “This is a marathon, not a sprint.”

How do you succeed?

So do you have what it takes to succeed? If you have a spare few minutes in your busy day (although we do have to ask why you have a spare few minutes if you are serious about this) then Ms Duckworth provides a quick self-assessment questionnaire on her website which might either cheer or depress you. But what can you do to get more of this elusive ‘grit’? And can it really be taught and developed?

One of the key findings of the professor’s extensive research is that natural talent is not necessarily essential. And in all too many cases, it may actually prove to be a handicap. The justification for this seemingly odd assertion is that the so-called talented can develop a sense of entitlement and, as a result, not put in the effort to achieve their full potential while those with something to prove to get on and prove it. Consequently the key may be to cultivate what she calls a ‘growth mind-set’ which embraces new experiences and treats failures, not as an end but stepping stones to greater effectiveness. Yes, it all may sound a bit ‘American’, despite the fact she picked up one of her prestigious degrees at Oxford, but underneath the transatlantic jargon the message is a common sense one that should speak to us all – life is tough so get on and do something with it.

Do you think grit and determination are crucial factors if you want to be a success in the legal sector?

For more insights from the team take a look at our other blog posts. And if you’re looking for a new role check out our latest vacancies.

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