Yvonne Smyth takes the temperature of the legal job market
Although the legal profession has slowly started to recover, competition for jobs is still tough and professionals need to do their best to stand out from the crowd. Some firms have demonstrated resilience in the recession, with several even seeing a rise in the demand for their services, such as niche litigation firms that deal with professional negligence or insolvency. Specialist insurance and personal injury firms have maintained a steady workflow and insurance, professional indemnity, property and banking are all practice areas in litigation that remain busy. Currently, the banking and financial services, employment and litigation sectors are recruiting in-house roles. Regional recruitment hotspots currently include the South East and Birmingham.
Despite these pockets of buoyancy, confidence remains fairly low with employers only recruiting for business critical roles and professionals are still wary about making a career move. Salaries are largely stagnant although there are early indications that some firms may bring in slight increases this year. In-house, many professionals are deciding to undertake further
