Recent survey data has suggested that lawyers are more hesitant to change roles within the profession.
According to a survey conducted by Clayton Legal, vacancies for private practice lawyers have seen an annual drop of 13%, which they believe is partly due to the air of uncertainty surrounding the profession, and the economy in general. In turn, lawyers are choosing to stay in their current role rather than moving to a different, potentially less stable position.
The research also indicated that the extent of the decline was not homogenous across the UK, with the fall of advertised vacancies being sharpest in London at 26%. Western regions also saw significant drops, with the north-west observing a fall of 18% and the south-west 11%. The smallest decline in advertised vacancies was seen in the north east and south east at 3% and 4% respectively. Remaining unchanged over the last year, the Midlands was the only region where the level of advertised vacancies stayed the same.
Although the figures paint a potentially disheartening picture, there were certain areas of legal specialism which saw a rise in the number of vacancies. The South and North East saw a rise in demand for family lawyers, with vacancies growing by 50% and 60% respectively. Also growing was the number of advertised vacancies for personal injury specialists, up by 27% in the South West.
Commenting on the figures was Lynn Sedgwick. The Managing Director at Clayton Legal highlighted that recruiting within the profession remains generally stable, despite the caution following the decision to leave the European Union.
“Almost a year has passed since the UK decided to leave the EU and while we have certainly seen lawyers being less committed to a career move, the hiring picture as a whole remains generally healthy. And while there is clearly caution around Brexit, we are also seeing a change in the recruitment strategies of our clients. Many firms are hiring lawyers for newly created positions due to increased workloads instead of replacement hires that are associated with specialists moving between firms. And as Brexit becomes more of a ‘business as usual’ scenario, we’re confident the ‘wait and see’ approach will pass.”
