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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
