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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

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joinscorporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Media and technology expert joins employment team as partner in Cambridge

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
The winners of the LexisNexis Legal Awards 2026 have now been announced, marking another outstanding celebration of excellence, innovation, and impact across the legal profession
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
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