Are Law Firms Missing a Trick with Locum Candidates?
In the current legal recruitment market, finding quality permanent candidates is harder than ever. Yet time and again, firms are overlooking a valuable and ready-made pool of talent; locums.
Locums do not make good permanent candidates – really?
We often see permanent vacancies where applicants with recent locum experience are dismissed out of hand. There seems to be a lingering assumption that anyone who’s been a locum must be unreliable, difficult, or somehow “not a team player.” In reality, that often couldn’t be further from the truth. Our locum desk regularly places solicitors and legal executives who perform so well that the firms offer them permanent roles — and a good number accept. There are firms out there, both small and not so small, who actually reject CVs for anyone who has done any locum work whatsoever (something for potential locums to bear in mind!).
Bad locum = no work
The whole concept of locuming tends to mean that if you are not very good at what you do then you will not get future assignments. Its a small world, and locums who do badly in an assignment tend to develop a reputation very quickly, and locum agencies & firms shy away from them.
Fixed term contracts
Sometimes firms tell us that a locum is no good because the locum has been on a fixed or long term contract which has ended and therefore the locum has obviously not impressed. After all, if the locum had been any good they would have stayed with the firm on a permanent basis. This is very often inaccurate.
Long term or fixed term contracts tend to be very specific in length; whether its to cover a sabbatical, maternity leave or an increased workload, longer term contracts inevitably come to an end and the locum moves on. If the locum had been no good then the long term contract would not have lasted (one of the main benefits of using locums is the ability to end the relationship at short notice if circumstances change). Locums who have a CV with long term contracts on it usually demonstrate ability, longevity and reliability.
Case Studies
Slightly anedoctal evidence here, but in recent times we have seen quite a large uptake from locums and clients in locum-permanent arrangements. To give a few examples;
- a litigation locum solicitor joined a firm with an increased workload and within 6 months became a salaried partner.
- a property locum solicitor joins a firm on a 1 week assignment, which is extended continually, before taking a salaried role after 4 months.
- 3 litigation solicitors join a busy firm to work on a caseload and within 2 months each time they join as permanent salaried staff.
Scarce Permanent Candidates
In a market where good permanent candidates are scarce, some law firms are missing a trick. Locums can often start immediately, with no notice period, and offer a low-risk way to assess fit before committing — a “try before you buy” approach that can save time, money, and can potentially be lower risk than appointing someone on a permanent basis on the strength of one or two relatively short interviews. Just because a solicitor is working as a locum and only takes on short term assignments doesn’t mean that they are no good as potential candidates.
Extend Your Recruitment
It might be time to rethink the assumption that “locum” equals “temporary.” In many cases, today’s locum is tomorrow’s long-term team member. Locum solicitors are no more of a risk than recruiting a permanent candidate, and in a lot of ways they are less.
We offer the same terms for both locum and permanent – and our recruitment terms are unique in the market with the longest rebate periods and instalment payments available. Check out our fees here.
To register permanent vacancies with us please click here. For locum assignments click here.
