Legal Jobs Forecast

LEgal Jobs forecast

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The legal jobs market is looking positive right now and the good news is that both private practice and in-house vacancies are on the increase. But the market still isn’t completely booming so there is still a lot of competition for the best jobs.

how is the private practice jobs market looking?

The encouraging thing for the market is that both contract and permanent private practice job levels are currently on the increase. We have seen a number of new positions created over the past few months and firms remain committed to replacing existing staff who move roles.

Demand exists across a variety of areas at the moment – intellectual property, funds, restructuring, insolvency and general finance lawyers are all being recruited. At the same time, continued regulatory pressure is leading to notable demand for risk and compliance specialists. Increased overall workloads have also meant paralegals and interim and locum lawyers are now more sought-after than they were last year.

With the number of documentation review projects continuing to increase, firms have also been seeking lawyers at both qualified and non-qualified levels to support these projects. If you have multiple language-speaking skills (specifically Middle and Far Eastern and Eastern European languages), you will be especially in demand for these jobs.

How About the in-house jobs market?

The in-house jobs market is looking quite positive right now. Oil and gas, technology, IT and aviation businesses are particularly active, with most demand for lawyers at the 2 – 6 years’ PQE and strong commercial experience. European language skills are also increasingly valued for these jobs.

what about financial services?

The good news is that the larger houses are becoming more confident in their recruitment approaches, which has led to a rise in both contract and permanent private practice job levels. But the majority of hiring is prompted by firms replacing existing staff who move rather than expanding or creating new teams. Most demand is at the AVP-VP level, with firms most interested in hiring lawyers with 2 – 4 years’ PQE. Read more on financial services job trends…

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