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23 July 2021 / Seamus Hoar
Issue: 7942 / Categories: Features , Profession , Covid-19
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Recruiting in a pandemic: opportunities & evolution

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Lateral hires have continued remotely during the pandemic, with several advantages to the virtual process, writes legal search expert Seamus Hoar
  • Lateral moves are taking place in a new, online, context. Advantages include a speedier process and the ability to meet more partners at a time in virtual meetings.

As with any period of disruption, the pandemic has provided a catalyst for change. ‘Working from home’ as we had all traditionally viewed the term became a stark reality. For law firms, this new reality could have presented a catastrophic outcome. Instead, technology was embraced and business continued—flourishing, in many instances. Initial deep-seated nervousness about the potential negative impact on business gave way to levels of activity not seen since the pre-global financial crisis era. As such, many firms continued to hire aggressively using something called Zoom—heard of it?

Woeful predictions of markets collapsing in the wake of the pandemic have not materialised for some practice areas. In fact, at the top end of the legal market many practice

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

Daniel Burbeary, office managing partner of Michelman Robinson, discusses launching in London, the power of the law, and what the kitchen can teach us about litigating

Joelson—Jennifer Mansoor

Joelson—Jennifer Mansoor

West End firm strengthens employment and immigration team with partner hire

JMW—Belinda Brooke

JMW—Belinda Brooke

Employment and people solutions offering boosted by partner hire

NEWS

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law
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