So let’s start with the good news. The legal market is very much back to normal. The Covid-induced recruitment freeze in many of the world’s most profitable firms is well and truly over. If you’re looking to move-onward and upwards in a law firm, opportunity knocks, and that applies even if you are looking to relocate internationally. We’ve already placed a number of lawyers around the world in the first quarter of the year (while many remained in lockdown). You work in a sector with a unique demographic. Lawyers are often cautious and thoughtful. As a collective you are, quite rightly, loathe to make unnecessary change. You work in an environment that rewards longevity, not simply in terms of financial remuneration, but also in the development of long-term relationships and trust. The law is also particularly hierarchical. All this means that you, as a candidate, hold all the cards. Firms are constantly searching for people at the right level, who are ready to make a long-term commitment. All being well, this could be your final career move. In which case, I sense you wondering – what’s the catch? The answer is simply that because you are in such demand, you will, inevitably, be inundated with ‘legal recruiters’ pestering you with ‘opportunities’. As flattering as that may feel at first, it soon becomes a blight. There is a fine line between providing a service and becoming a pest, and we know that many recruiters fall on the wrong side. Irritation follows and, inevitably, so does a lack of trust. And sadly, for a firm like ours, who go about things very differently, candidates understandably begin to feel the same way about the entire recruitment industry. My simple request is not to tar us all with the same brush! We understand the complexity of what you do, the narrow specialisms within which you operate, and the truth that you will only be interested in the perfect new role, which is why we’ve built our legal team to work completely differently to the herd. We have based our approach on some very simple principles: We can’t be good at what we do without understanding what you do. We may not be lawyers, but we spend a huge amount of time understanding your world, by reading widely, networking and using analytics. That breadth of research stretches across sectors and regions, from the Cayman Islands to the Channel Islands, from London to Hong Kong and from Dubai to Singapore. We put you first. That means understanding your career plan, your ambitions, your particular strengths and your lifestyle priorities. We know much more about each law firm than the fact that they have a need for someone like you. Whether they are based in the UK, the Middle East or Asia, onshore or offshore, the Magic Circle or Silver Circle, US, International or boutique, we dig deep to understand their culture, their plans and their track record. That means we can decline the vast majority of opportunities on your behalf without wasting a second of your time. If we think there is a perfect match, we’ll let you know but we won’t push it. We’re here to advise and support you, not to sell. We’d rather you never moved than you made the wrong decision. Ultimately, we don’t want to push anything to you at all. We want to help support your move to the right firm, in the right place at the right time. We want you to know that your dream opportunity does exist, and that we’ll find it, however long that takes. The only place to start is by getting to know you. As a successful candidate kindly wrote to us recently: “You actually took the time to go through my cv and past experience; you asked all the right questions to understand what I was looking for before putting forward suggested roles and you were always very responsive.” Whether you wish to simply make contact, require guidance, advice or sound us out on the market or for your future career plans and goals – do get in touch! Gemma Whiteside gemma@walkerlovell.com
There was a joke that used to do the rounds in recruitment circles: Q: “What do you call a recruitment consultant who doesn’t always negotiate the best salary?” A: “An ex-recruitment consultant.” And there was some truth in that. Ambitious people have always worked hard and wanted to be rewarded. A new job created an opportunity to push those rewards higher. And ‘rewards’ remained a euphemism for ‘money’. The time of maximum opportunity for candidates is, of course, when client demand exceeds supply. Which is where we find ourselves in so many sectors right now. The reasons for this are unsurprising: Financially secure companies that implemented freezes during lockdown are now hiring again Markets that slowed during the pandemic are picking-up With the dynamic shifting in favour of the candidate, we’ve witnessed some unusual events recently: Candidates have been taking interviews with multiple job offers with other firms already on the table. b The speed of the recruitment process has accelerated. A law firm we work with, and which typically meets candidates on a number of occasions, has recently made an offer after a single interview on Zoom. Clients engaging in long processes are losing candidates. One of our most experienced recruiters has said that she has never known so many candidates hold-off sending CVs to great businesses looking to recruit simply because they have already received so much interest in hiring them.  And all evidence suggests that this is just the start, with international travel still limited and some furlough schemes still in operation. In this environment, it would be very easy for us to rub our hands gleefully and encourage clients to pay record-breaking salaries to secure their hires as quickly as possible. Our view, however, is different. If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s that there is more to life than a paycheque. We have spent huge periods of time unable to socialise or to go to work. We’ve had significant barriers drawn around our personal freedom, which has given many of us a chance to reassess our priorities. And for many people, the outcome of Covid will be to reassess their priorities. Some want to spend more time at home. Others wish to adjust their work/life balance. Many want to pursue dreams that they hadn’t previously considered viable in the ‘old’ world of 2019. So although we will always ensure that clients are offering fair remuneration, we are encouraging clients and candidates to seek the right cultural fit. Some companies are already changing working patterns and offering a four and a half-day week ending at Friday lunchtime. Others are pushing their passion for sustainability, developing relationships with other businesses who share their primary goal of making the world a greener, cleaner place. One of our clients is throwing itself into supporting the local community, encouraging staff to spend half a day each week working at local schools or on community projects. Another has a ‘bring your dog to work day’! These are not opportunistic announcements. I believe they are symbolic of our times. Never before has it been more important for firms to walk the walk and demonstrate that their brand reflects their culture. And in that spirit, with demand for good candidates growing, there’s never been a better opportunity for people to find a place to work that reflects their priorities and worldview. So our advice to clients who are desperate to recruit new people is to sell your culture as well as your pay structure. Recruiting like-minded people is the key to developing a stronger brand for your team and your clients. As for candidates, it’s completely natural to look for a well-paid role. But we believe there’s more to life than that. And on the basis that work takes up a huge proportion of your waking life, please don’t forget that the people you work with and the environment your work within will have a huge impact on your wellbeing long after the initial thrill of your new salary has sunk-in!
So let’s start with the good news. The legal market is very much back to normal. The Covid-induced recruitment freeze in many of the world’s most profitable firms is well and truly over. If you’re looking to move-onward and upwards in a law firm, opportunity knocks, and that applies even if you are looking to relocate internationally. We’ve already placed a number of lawyers around the world in the first quarter of the year (while many remained in lockdown). You work in a sector with a unique demographic. Lawyers are often cautious and thoughtful. As a collective you are, quite rightly, loathe to make unnecessary change. You work in an environment that rewards longevity, not simply in terms of financial remuneration, but also in the development of long-term relationships and trust. The law is also particularly hierarchical. All this means that you, as a candidate, hold all the cards. Firms are constantly searching for people at the right level, who are ready to make a long-term commitment. All being well, this could be your final career move. In which case, I sense you wondering – what’s the catch? The answer is simply that because you are in such demand, you will, inevitably, be inundated with ‘legal recruiters’ pestering you with ‘opportunities’. As flattering as that may feel at first, it soon becomes a blight. There is a fine line between providing a service and becoming a pest, and we know that many recruiters fall on the wrong side. Irritation follows and, inevitably, so does a lack of trust. And sadly, for a firm like ours, who go about things very differently, candidates understandably begin to feel the same way about the entire recruitment industry. My simple request is not to tar us all with the same brush! We understand the complexity of what you do, the narrow specialisms within which you operate, and the truth that you will only be interested in the perfect new role, which is why we’ve built our legal team to work completely differently to the herd. We have based our approach on some very simple principles: We can’t be good at what we do without understanding what you do. We may not be lawyers, but we spend a huge amount of time understanding your world, by reading widely, networking and using analytics. That breadth of research stretches across sectors and regions, from the Cayman Islands to the Channel Islands, from London to Hong Kong and from Dubai to Singapore. We put you first. That means understanding your career plan, your ambitions, your particular strengths and your lifestyle priorities. We know much more about each law firm than the fact that they have a need for someone like you. Whether they are based in the UK, the Middle East or Asia, onshore or offshore, the Magic Circle or Silver Circle, US, International or boutique, we dig deep to understand their culture, their plans and their track record. That means we can decline the vast majority of opportunities on your behalf without wasting a second of your time. If we think there is a perfect match, we’ll let you know but we won’t push it. We’re here to advise and support you, not to sell. We’d rather you never moved than you made the wrong decision. Ultimately, we don’t want to push anything to you at all. We want to help support your move to the right firm, in the right place at the right time. We want you to know that your dream opportunity does exist, and that we’ll find it, however long that takes. The only place to start is by getting to know you. As a successful candidate kindly wrote to us recently: “You actually took the time to go through my cv and past experience; you asked all the right questions to understand what I was looking for before putting forward suggested roles and you were always very responsive.” Whether you wish to simply make contact, require guidance, advice or sound us out on the market or for your future career plans and goals – do get in touch! Gemma Whiteside gemma@walkerlovell.com
There was a joke that used to do the rounds in recruitment circles: Q: “What do you call a recruitment consultant who doesn’t always negotiate the best salary?” A: “An ex-recruitment consultant.” And there was some truth in that. Ambitious people have always worked hard and wanted to be rewarded. A new job created an opportunity to push those rewards higher. And ‘rewards’ remained a euphemism for ‘money’. The time of maximum opportunity for candidates is, of course, when client demand exceeds supply. Which is where we find ourselves in so many sectors right now. The reasons for this are unsurprising: Financially secure companies that implemented freezes during lockdown are now hiring again Markets that slowed during the pandemic are picking-up With the dynamic shifting in favour of the candidate, we’ve witnessed some unusual events recently: Candidates have been taking interviews with multiple job offers with other firms already on the table. b The speed of the recruitment process has accelerated. A law firm we work with, and which typically meets candidates on a number of occasions, has recently made an offer after a single interview on Zoom. Clients engaging in long processes are losing candidates. One of our most experienced recruiters has said that she has never known so many candidates hold-off sending CVs to great businesses looking to recruit simply because they have already received so much interest in hiring them.  And all evidence suggests that this is just the start, with international travel still limited and some furlough schemes still in operation. In this environment, it would be very easy for us to rub our hands gleefully and encourage clients to pay record-breaking salaries to secure their hires as quickly as possible. Our view, however, is different. If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s that there is more to life than a paycheque. We have spent huge periods of time unable to socialise or to go to work. We’ve had significant barriers drawn around our personal freedom, which has given many of us a chance to reassess our priorities. And for many people, the outcome of Covid will be to reassess their priorities. Some want to spend more time at home. Others wish to adjust their work/life balance. Many want to pursue dreams that they hadn’t previously considered viable in the ‘old’ world of 2019. So although we will always ensure that clients are offering fair remuneration, we are encouraging clients and candidates to seek the right cultural fit. Some companies are already changing working patterns and offering a four and a half-day week ending at Friday lunchtime. Others are pushing their passion for sustainability, developing relationships with other businesses who share their primary goal of making the world a greener, cleaner place. One of our clients is throwing itself into supporting the local community, encouraging staff to spend half a day each week working at local schools or on community projects. Another has a ‘bring your dog to work day’! These are not opportunistic announcements. I believe they are symbolic of our times. Never before has it been more important for firms to walk the walk and demonstrate that their brand reflects their culture. And in that spirit, with demand for good candidates growing, there’s never been a better opportunity for people to find a place to work that reflects their priorities and worldview. So our advice to clients who are desperate to recruit new people is to sell your culture as well as your pay structure. Recruiting like-minded people is the key to developing a stronger brand for your team and your clients. As for candidates, it’s completely natural to look for a well-paid role. But we believe there’s more to life than that. And on the basis that work takes up a huge proportion of your waking life, please don’t forget that the people you work with and the environment your work within will have a huge impact on your wellbeing long after the initial thrill of your new salary has sunk-in!
‘I’ve worked with Klara for over five years over which time she has been an exceptional partner to us and the experience she delivers is similar to having your own in-house recruitment team. She takes the time to understand your business and culture and uses this knowledge to find the right candidates to place with us. I would always recommend Klara given the excellent service she provides’.
‘Similar to having your own in-house recruitment team’
I've had the pleasure of working with Megan and Walker Lovell. Megan is adept at aligning candidates with employers, ensuring a long term, successful placement. She also takes the anxiety out of the process by giving timely updates and explaining in detail where each party is at in the process. I highly recommend Megan and Walker Lovell from both the employer and the candidate perspective!
‘Adept at aligning candidates with employers’
I've been working with WL on a major recruitment and organizational development program, and for me, they just demonstrated being the best recruiter in the fertilizer industry. Their database and research of candidates is 1st class, but they also score very high on the professional follow up and support provided. Best in class!
‘The best recruiter in the fertilizer industry’
"Gemma Whiteside is a pleasure to work with. Very diligent in pursuing the right candidate according to our specifications. Her approach resulted in an excellent candidate being hired into the team at the right price point. I would highly recommend Gemma."
‘Diligent in pursuing the right candidate’
Katie genuinely strives to keep the best interests of her client and potential candidates in mind when placing people into roles. She takes the time to understand your current situation and puts her talent and energy into finding something that fits your job search. She listens to your needs, what you are looking for and makes sure that it is in line with what is best for both her client and the candidate.
