Law firms are hiring more paralegals and junior lawyers in a drive to save costs
Legal recruiters Badenoch & Clark’s June report records a rise in demand for contract paralegals, who have a lower day rate than solicitors.
Firms are offering more temp-to-perm roles as hiring managers find it easier to appoint temporary positions and “justify the permanent case at a later date”. The trend for companies to appoint junior lawyers, particularly those 1-2 years PQE, to permanent in-house positions and then train them up as necessary, is continuing. There has also been a spike in newly qualified vacancies, as firms now have visibility of their in situ trainees’ plans and are releasing roles for NQ solicitors as available.
Duncan Ward, legal operations director at Badenoch & Clark, says: “Paralegals and locums are in demand and there is upward pressure on their salaries as a result. Firms are controlling costs by streamlining experienced, highly qualified positions and finding other alternatives to administrative or low-level work.”
He says there has been a “sharp increase” in locum solicitor appointments due to summer holiday cover and improvements in the economy.
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