Legal Job Market Update

Key points from February 2017 as follows:
* The demand for staff generally has increased in line with the seasonal norm.
* Permanent recruitment has increased.
* Locum recruitment has increased but hourly rates have dropped in some areas.
* Wills and Probate locum and permanent roles have dropped off a bit and private client solicitors remain in demand.
* Conveyancing has picked up – both locum and permanent.
* Commercial Property roles remain at low levels.
* Litigation quiet.
* London market getting busier.

Summary

For the full report please visit: https://www.ten-percent.co.uk/legal-job-market-report-march-8th-2017/

Hourly Rates of Pay for Locum Solicitors and Legal Executives

We have noticed a change in locum rates for conveyancing and I suspect this is a general adjustment in the market. Although locum hourly rate payment vary widely according to the demand, length of assignment, level of experience and advance notice available, we have seen movement downwards and a number of locums not getting work if their rate is too high.

Residential conveyancing rates are now settling at around the £28-32 per hour mark in most areas of the UK for any assignments longer than a few weeks. I suspect that the days of firms paying £40-45 per hour have probably ended (it has been quite a brief interlude from the norm!) and we think £35 per hour is going to be the maximum level seen generally. This was the case for residential conveyancing until 2016 when the hourly rates seemed to spike.

For the full report please visit: https://www.ten-percent.co.uk/locum-solicitors-hourly-rates-for-march-2017/

 Top Quality Summary Sections/Personal Statements on CVs

The summary at the top of a CV is one of the key areas of a CV that so often gets ignored by candidates or filled with meaningless waffle. A good number of CVs we see every day actually miss them off completely, which is an opportunity missed if you are someone who fits a job description perfectly. We have recently had sight of possibly the best (and worst) personal statement ever seen on a CV. It read:

1. VERY HARD WORKING,DECENT LOOKING,ALWAYS WELL DRESSED BLOKE.
2. Honest, hard working and reliable person with a strong work ethic and commitment to exceed expectations.
3. I have an excellent communication and interpersonal ability, this enables me to be interactive when working as part of a team.

To read the full article please visit: https://www.ten-percent.co.uk/personal-statements-on-cvs-top-quality-examples/

 Permanent Vacancies registered in the last 7 days

North
VAC-16966 Legal Cashier Small but well established Cheshire firm with an excellent reputation looking for a legal cashier to work at their Widnes office. The firm are happy to consider full-time or part-time candidates but experience using Proclaim software is essential. The post will be permanent and salary will be negotiable depending on experience.
VAC-16965 Legal Cashier A well established Lancashire law firm are looking for an experienced legal cashier to work at their Blackburn office. The post will be full-time, permanent and salary will be negotiable depending on experience.
VAC-16964 Personal Injury Paralegal A well established firm with offices in Lancashire and Yorkshire are looking for a personal injury paralegal to work at their Blackburn office. Candidates should have experience of using the MOJ portal and of claimant RTA work. The post will be full-time, permanent and salary levels likely to be 13k-17k depending on experience.
VAC-16963 Conveyancing Fee Earner A well established firm with branches in Yorkshire and Lancashire are looking for a conveyancer to work at their busy Blackburn and Bradford offices. The firm are happy to consider Solicitors, Licensed Conveyancers and Legal Executives who can manage a caseload of predominantly residential conveyancing with a small amount of light commercial conveyancing (approximately an 85% to 15% split). The post is full-time, permanent and salary will be negotiable depending on experience. Part-time candidates may also be considered.
VAC-16960 Commercial & Employment Solicitor A well established Lincolnshire firm are looking for a a solicitor with around 2-5 years’ PQE in commercial law and employment law to work at their Scunthorpe office. The post is full-time, permanent and salary will be negotiable depending on experience but should be competitive.
VAC-16958 Conveyancing x 2 in Wakefield A very well established West Yorkshire firm are looking for two residential conveyancers to work at their Wakefield office. The first role is Conveyancing Team Leader. Ideally candidates for this role will be a 3+ year PQE conveyancing solicitor or legal executive with experience of managing a residential caseload and some managerial exposure. The second role is for a conveyancing solicitor with around 3 years PQE to manage their own residential caseload. The salary for team leader role is 30k-35k and for the solicitor role 25k-30k. This firm offer flexible working hours, 35 days’ holiday per year and private health insurance amongst other employee benefits.
VAC-16957 Immigration Solicitor sought by Manchester law firm of small to medium size. The practice is located outside Manchester City Centre and the firm specialise in litigation work. They need an immigration solicitor on a locum or permanent basis to assist. Salary range indicated of £25-40k depending on experience.
VAC-16940 In House Commercial Locum Commercial Contracts Locum sought by university in Merseyside. Assignment ideally starting in Mid March and running for 6 months but the role could well become a permanent one in the longer term. The role will mainly focus on drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts for the University’s research and consultancy activities, as well as providing commercial contracts support to wider University functions.

South
VAC-16956 Conveyancing Secretary A North London law firm have an opening for a full time, permanent conveyancing secretary at their branch office in Edmonton. The firm are looking for a candidate with experience in residential conveyancing, with excellent typing skills and proficient IT skills. Job description available on request. Salary range: £22K to £24K per annum.
VAC-16955 Civil Litigation Solicitor A North London law firm have an opening for a full time, permanent civil litigation solicitor at their branch in Enfield. The firm are looking for candidates with approximately 1 year PQE upwards to manage their own caseload under supervision. Caseload will consist of: property litigation, debt recovery, contract disputes, contentious probate, professional negligence and IP. Full job description available on request. Salary around £35K per annum depending on experience.
VAC-16954 Conveyancing Locum sought in Cheltenham by medium sized law firm – residential conveyancing work.
VAC-16952 Senior Private Client Solicitor A large firm with offices across the South West of England are looking for a private client solicitor to work at their Central Cheltenham office. Ideally candidates should have a minimum of 7 years’ PQE and be able to manage a broad wills & probate caseload. The post will be full-time, permanent and salary will be negotiable dependning on experience but should be competitive.
VAC-16947 Company Commercial Solicitor A well established London firm are looking for a company commercial solicitor with 3+ years’ PQE to work at their office, situated within a 5 minute walk of Tottenham Court Road Station. The firm say that they are happy to consider full-time and part-time applicants and the successful candidate will be able to carry out a significant proportion of the work from home, if desired. Caseload will be a broad range of commercial work. The post will be permanent and salary will be negotiable depending on experience.
VAC-16946 Law Firm Buyer Law Firm with 2 existing offices based in the South East looking to acquire Immigration, Family and/or Crime Solicitors Firms located nationally. All options considered.
VAC-16945 Crime Solicitor A high street law firm based in Hammersmith, West London have an opening to take on a full time crime solicitor on a permanent basis. The firm are looking for experienced candidates ideally with duty status and are looking to recruit as soon as possible. Salary negotiable and dependent on experience.
VAC-16944 Conveyancing Solicitor A South West London firm are looking for a Conveyancer to manage a caseload at their office within a 5 minute walk of Earlsfield Station. Ideally the firm are looking for a solicitor with a minimum of 5 years’ PQE with a broad range of experience including equity release, transfer of equity and if possible landlord/tenant issues. The post is full-time, permanent and salary will be negotiable depending on experience but the 40k-50k range has been mentioned by the firm.
VAC-16943 NQ- 1 Year PQE Property Solicitor A medium sized Hertfordshire firm are looking for a property solicitor to work at their Elstree office. Ideally the firm are looking for an NQ-1 year PQE solicitor with experience in both residential and commercial conveyancing. The post will be full-time, permanent and salary will be 25k-30k depending on experience.
VAC-16942 Admin Assistant x2 A well established Kent law firm are looking for two admin assistants to work in the Recovery Department at their Bromley office. The firm are looking for reliable and enthusiastic applicants with 5 GCSEs (grade C or above) no previous experience required full training will be given. The role will involve setting new cases up, answering phones, drafting letters, filing, liaising with instructing insurer, liaising with third party insurer, communicating with the policyholder/client, keeping up to date on daily tasks and dairy entries , collating evidence and chasing payments. The role will start ASAP, will be full-time, permanent and salary will be 13k per annum.
VAC-16937 Prison Law Supervisor A well established Oxfordshire firm are looking for a Prison Lawyer with Supervisor Status to work at their Wheatley office. The firm are happy to consider full-time or part-time candidates and the role will begin ASAP. The post is permament and salary will be negotiable depending on experience.
VAC-16936 Head of Private Client A very well established Surrey firm are looking for a senior Wills & Probate solicitor to head their busy Private Client Department at their Weybridge office. Ideally the firm are looking for someone with 7+ years’ PQE who has built up contacts over their career and so can continue to develop the department. The post will be full-time, permanent and salary will be negotiable depending on experience but around the £70k per annum mark. Office situated close to M25 and a 10 minute walk from Weybridge station which is on the Waterloo to Woking/ Basingstoke line and the Waterloo via Staines line.
VAC-16935 Property Litigation A medium sized Hertfordshire firm are looking for a litigation solicitor with property litigation experience to work at their Elstree office. Ideally the firm are looking for an NQ-2 year PQE solicitor but may also consider experienced paralegals. The post will be full-time, permanent and salary will be negotiable depending on experience.
VAC-16934 Commercial Property Lawyer A well established firm with offices across Greater London are looking for a Commercial Property lawyer to work at their Edgware office. Ideally the firm are looking for an NQ-2 year PQE solicitor or a fairly experienced commercial property paralegal. The post will be full-time, permanent and salary will be negotiable depending on experience but the salary range 30k-40k has been mentioned.
VAC-16933 Family Law Paralegal/NQ Solicitor A small Hertfordshire firm are looking for a Family Lawyer to work at their Watford office on a fixed term 6 month contract. The firm deal with publicly funded family law work and need either an NQ-2 year PQE solicitor or paralegal with family law experience. The post will start ASAP, will run for an initial 6 months (with the possibility of being extended) and salary levels will be negotiable depending on experience but we suspect they are looking to pay 18k-23k per annum equivalent.
VAC-16932 Crime Locum Solicitor Crime Duty Solicitor sought to cover slots of departed duty solicitor. Arrangement not clear at this stage.

Locums – how to ensure you get paid

This link takes you to the article on our website.
https://www.ten-percent.co.uk/how-to-get-paid-a-guide-for-locums-chasing-payment/

The Kilimatinde Trust – charity supported by the Ten Percent Foundation 2016-2020

We thought it might be of interest to outline where the Ten Percent Foundation spends some of its money. The first charity is the Kilimatinde Trust. This is a UK charity linked to a specific area of Tanzania. One of our trustees knows one of the teachers at the school we support; St John’s Seminary in Tanzania.

For further details about the Ten Percent Foundation please visit https://www.ten-percent.co.uk/charitable-trust/

To sign a petition to Parliament limiting the executive pay in the charity sector – please click here.

Low Cost Recruitment for Solicitors – Ten Percent Unlimited

Ten-Percent Unlimited is a service offering unlimited recruitment for a set monthly fee. It was set up by us back in 2011 with the aim of making the use of a recruitment agency cost-effective in a time of great financial difficulties for all in the profession. It is still going strong – we have over 100 members – most of whom are sole practitioners or smaller sized law firms.

The Unlimited Recruitment service offers law firms the chance to recruit as many permanent or locum candidates as needed over a period of 5 years in return for a monthly payment. There are no restrictions on numbers (although vacancies have to exist and we do operate a fair usage policy – so far never used) and no other costs. No other similar services exist in the recruitment industry.

For example in a 5 year period you may recruit a few locums for cover each year, a replacement conveyancing solicitor, a couple of legal secretaries, possibly a paralegal or two and have a look to expand the firm into a new area of law with an additional fee earner. All of this would cost considerable amounts in advertising and/or recruitment agency fees. However with Ten Percent Unlimited you simply pay a monthly fee for 60 months.

One of our recruitment consultants works full time on our Ten Percent Unlimited member firms’ recruitment needs and is always happy to talk about the service. If you would like a chat with Clare Fagan, please give her a ring on 0207 127 4343 or email clare.fagan@ten-percent.co.uk. www.tenpercentunlimited.co.uk.

How to be a Locum – pdf guide

We have produced a guide on how to be a locum. This includes sections on getting work, realistic expectations, hourly rates, popular fields of law, payment, insurance, umbrella companies and much more. Available for download at no charge from www.interimlawyers.co.uk – click the link on the left hand side of the page.

About Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment

We are a specialist legal recruiter, covering both permanent and locum roles across the whole of the UK. Over 11,000 lawyers are registered with us and we have access to a range of external and internal job boards and websites where we do not have candidates available ourselves. We also assist with recruitment advice and assistance, regularly advising partners and practice managers on suitable salary and package levels.

Our company is unique for a number of reasons, including the fact that we are not shy to publish our fee structure and also donate a chunk of our profits to charity each year. We offer unlimited permanent and locum recruitment for a fixed monthly fee or one-off fees depending on the job. We donate 10% of our profits annually to charity, hence our name.

We have three recruitment consultants, Jonathan Fagan, Clare Fagan and Pete Gresty, together with our finance director Pearl McNamara. As a team we have over 40 years of experience in the legal profession.

Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment also owns Interim Lawyers, a specialist locum service. We operate an outsourced UK based typing service as well – www.tptranscription.co.uk and are preferred suppliers to a number of institutional clients and law firms across the UK and overseas.

The Ten-Percent Group of Legal Recruitment websites gives 10% of annual profits to charity. We have carried on with this tradition since we formed the company 15 years ago. So far over £90k has been donated to charities in the UK and Africa including LawCare, Unlock and Reprieve.

We hope you have enjoyed reading our newsletter and look forward to hearing from you if we can assist further.

Warm regards

Jonathan Fagan
Director

E: jbfagan@tenpercentgroup.com
T: 0207 127 4343

Ten-Percent.co.uk Limited
20-22 Wenlock Road
London
N1 7GU

Jonathan Fagan is a solicitor, qualified recruitment consultant and Managing Director of Ten-Percent.co.uk Limited. His LinkedIn profile can be viewed here – www.linkedin.com/in/jbfagan

Legal Recruitment News is produced by TP Legal Recruitment – you can view all versions of the e-newsletter at www.legal-recruitment.co.uk.

Ten Percent Group – www.tenpercentgroup.com
Interim Lawyers – www.interimlawyers.co.uk
Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment – www.ten-percent.co.uk
Legal Recruitment Newsletter – www.legal-recruitment.co.uk