Ten Percent Legal Recruitment

in Changing Jobs, Interviews, Newly Qualified Solicitors, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 12/10/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

An interview with Jonathan Fagan, Solicitor, Legal Recruitment Consultant and Career Coach

Reading Time: 4 minutesQ Why do you offer career coaching to lawyers and law students? Good question! Together with 3 other lawyers I set up Ten Percent Legal Recruitment back in April 2000. Within a few months we were being bombarded with CVs from law students and graduates desperate for training contracts and work experience. We obviously could…

in Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 12/10/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

I am a Law Student Looking for Work, can you help?

Reading Time: 2 minutesNo. We can’t help and you may be surprised to know that we will be quite annoyed if you telephone us. We have warnings all over our website detailing who we can help and how we can help and sometimes the sheer volume of students and law graduates without any work experience calling us overwhelms…

in Legal Job Market Reports on 04/10/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Legal Job Market Report 4th October 2011

Reading Time: 2 minutesThis month has been a busy one. Despite the stock markets continuing to yo-yo up and down, financial crises bounding and the continued uncertainty about change in the structure of the legal profession, firms are recruiting. One of the main areas in recent weeks has been Family Law. The Legal Services Commission have yet again…

in Interviews, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 09/09/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

How Do Training Contract Interviews Vary when with Partners or HR Managers

Reading Time: 2 minutesI was asked yesterday about the likely interview style and questions to be thrown at someone from a city law firm during a pre-selection day interview. This was to be with the HR Manager of the firm and would last for about 30 minutes. Does it matter who takes a legal job interview and is…

in Legal Job Market Reports on 06/09/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Legal Job Market Report 6th September 2011

Reading Time: 2 minutesLegal Job Market Report 6th September 2011 August has not been a good month for legal recruitment until the last week. Unsurprisingly, partners seem to have a lot more on their mind at this time of year, including holidays and cutting the grass. It did not help that the international money markets have decided to…

in Legal Job Market Reports on 02/08/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Legal Job Market Report 2nd August 2011

Reading Time: 2 minutesLegal Job Market Report 2nd August 2011 Still blowing hot and cold, the job market in July is still showing conflicting signs. One day we get 3-4 vacancies posted for similar fields (for example last week we had four litigation posts in the South West all posted on the same day) and others we get…

in Job Applications, Legal Profession, Relocation on 26/07/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Advice for Australian Lawyers looking to work in the UK

Reading Time: 3 minutesI am sure in Australia lawyers often see adverts from recruitment agents telling them of shortages in the legal profession in the UK and particularly law fields. This has been the case in years gone past in the Law Society Gazette in England and Wales. Adverts are still around now for law firms looking for…

in Legal Job Market Reports on 18/07/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Legal Job Market Report 13th July 2011

Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe job market in June has shown conflicting signs. At various intervals we have picked up vacancies from good, reputable firms, looking to pay salaries and not after a following which rarely exists in the profession. At other times it has been very quiet. Conveyancing is clearly making a comeback (again) and we are starting…

in Job Applications, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 29/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

How Badly do you want a Training Contract? Test Yourself

Reading Time: 4 minutesPeople often get in touch to say that they are looking for a training contract and will do anything to get one. Really? I can almost guarantee that in the majority of these cases if we were to push them further on this they would not have walked up and down high streets banging on…

in Careers Advice, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 29/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

How to Improve your Chances of Getting a Training Contract

Reading Time: 4 minutesWe regularly get calls from graduates and paralegals wanting us to find them work or work experience and we give the same answer pretty much every time. You cannot phone recruitment agencies and expect them to find you meaningful employment if you do not have any experience and nothing to offer a potential employer. All…

in Employers, Interviews, Job Applications on 24/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Taking Up References

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe decision to give references is sometimes quite complicated. Firms have requested references before second interviews, including requests to speak to current employers (!) and colleagues. Alternatively some firms ask for references prior to first interview. Others have waited until a solicitor has commenced work and two weeks later asked for a reference. Two incidents…

in Changing Jobs, Interviews on 24/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Job Offers – how to decide

Reading Time: 3 minutesA recent dilemna arose for a solicitor looking to take a fairly senior post in the North of England. He had two offers, as well as an additional firm interested. One firm were very friendly, a reasonable size, good working conditions, excellent career prospects from the outset including possible partnership. Their location was not the…

in Employers, Staying in Your Job on 24/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Work Life Balance

Reading Time: 2 minutesWork/Life Balance seems to become a particularly important issue once solicitors get to about 3 years PQE, and realise that there is life beyond work, and other issues such as rearing a family, paying a mortgage and buying a house come into play. The legal profession as a whole suffers from a poor attitude towards the…

in Employers on 24/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Making Low Job Offers

Reading Time: 2 minutesSome firms seem very pleased at times when a candidate accepts an offer that is considerably below the market rate but we think this is a false economy. I can think of two firms in recent times who have been aware of a candidate’s limited geographical search area, or perhaps their requirement for supervision for…

in Changing Jobs, Employers, Legal Profession on 24/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Lawyers returning to work after children

Reading Time: 2 minutesIt is apparently the case that mothers returning to work after starting a family suffer the highest employment penalty of any group (Equalities Review). Mothers with children under 11 are 37% less likely to be offered a job than equivalent males. Single mums suffer even worse figures – rising to above 40%. Firms should not…

in Employers, Legal Profession on 24/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Lack of Quality Candidates or Just Low Pay?

Reading Time: 2 minutesFirms who regularly complain that there is a lack of quality out there and no candidates applying for their jobs, are often the same firms who offer rates of pay so low a solicitor cannot get a mortgage above £60k! I regularly read about the shortage in good quality staff, and also get called by…

in Employers on 24/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

How to be a Nice Boss at Christmas

Reading Time: 2 minutes1. Don’t throw things at your staff. Particularly the Law Society Conveyancing Handbook – it hurts! 2. Don’t get drunk at the Christmas party – this always leads to consequences remembered for decades afterwards. Whether this involves rambling incoherently about how useless one of your staff is, or some minor act of vandalism, your colleagues…

in Job Applications on 24/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Is the Legal Job Market Cyclical?

Reading Time: 2 minutesWe notice whenever there is World Cup, a serious incident in world politics, Christmas Parties, Christmas shopping, New Years resolution season, NQ qualification season and so forth that the legal job market in a good year will suddenly get very busy or very quiet. The answer therefore is yes! The year always starts fairly slowly…

in Interviews, Training Contracts, Pupillage and Work Experience on 24/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Business Acumen

Reading Time: < 1 minuteBusiness Acumen – what’s it all about? This term comes up quite often in legal job interviews, whether for training contracts or qualified solicitor roles. But what exactly does it mean? In reality, not a lot! The usual question is along the lines of “can you give an example of when you have had to…

in Newly Qualified Solicitors, Staying in Your Job on 23/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Career Planning

Reading Time: 2 minutes“I’ve heard a lot of talk about career paths – what should I be doing about this, and is it a good idea to plan 5 years in advance when working in a law firm?” It is very hard to know what a legal career is all about when you start out in law. Firstly…

in Employers on 23/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Improving Conditions to Retain Staff

Reading Time: 2 minutes“I want to move because my current office is affecting my health – damp on the walls, mould on the ceiling, and freezing cold. No pay rise for anyone at the firm in 5 years.” Another firm yet to wake up to the realities of modern day living – being nice to your legal staff…

in Changing Jobs, Interviews on 23/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Job Offers – Sticking or Twisting

Reading Time: 2 minutesNegotiation with some firms is like a gunfight at OK Corral! It can be great fun dealing with firms and candidates when it comes to job offers being made by firms. Some firms make good, competitive offers, which any sensible candidate would accept, and other firms make low, slave wage level offers, which only someone…

in Legal Profession, Staying in Your Job on 23/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Can you be a millionaire or very rich and work as a solicitor?

Reading Time: 2 minutesI have recently been reading a load of books on investment, personal wealth management and similar titles, and have discovered that there are a lot of different strategies for creating your own financial stability. All the advice appears to point to either having a job or business on the side, or to conduct investment at…

in Interviews on 23/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

The Unwritten Rules of Legal Job Interviews

Reading Time: 2 minutesThe main aim and focus during interview must be: EVERYBODY LIKES ME, I LIKE EVERYBODY, I AM WILLING TO DO ALMOST ANYTHING (WITHIN REASON), I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH ANYTHING OR ANYBODY. 12 Top Tips for Surviving and Succeeding at Legal Job Interviews. 1. Do not reveal your political leanings if at all possible during…

in Employers on 23/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Is a Job Interview the Best Way of Assessing a Candidate?

Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn a recent article a senior recruiter argued that a better approach to recruitment would be as follows: (1) give full specifics of your post prior to interview – this can sometimes be very frustrating in legal recruitment – firms give very vague requirements and are surprised when candidates get annoyed at travelling a long…

in Salary Reviews on 23/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

What Benefits should I ask for as well as Salary?

Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe choice of benefits varies quite considerably, but you need to know why employers will like or dislike them. When that time of the year comes up when you actually get to discuss your salary and package rather than just thinking about it, it is important to have all the facts to hand. You can…

in Employers, Job Applications on 20/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Application Forms – Solicitors detest them!

Reading Time: 2 minutesIt has become the industry standard that once you are past the training level of the profession, the way to apply for the vast majority of posts, apart from local authority ones, is via a CV. In fact, most firms who have tried to use application forms for posts have met hostility from candidates, whether…

in Employers on 20/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Employing Good and Happy Receptionists in Law Firms

Reading Time: 2 minutesOne of the easiest ways to spot a firm who are ‘good’ to work for and who have a happy working environment is to phone the receptionist and ask to speak to someone. Some receptionists consider this a real nuisance, and I have even heard sighs and tuts as if you shouldn’t really be calling…

in CV Writing, Job Applications on 20/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Making a Job Application after 25 years in the same post

Reading Time: 2 minutesWe often get very senior solicitors and executives registering with us, and needing to make an application for work after many years in the same post and wondering what on earth they need to do. Very often these candidates send a CV through which is about 1/2 page long and just says name, address, name…

in Employers on 20/06/2011 by Jonathan Fagan

Attaching a Time Limit to a Job Offer

Reading Time: 2 minutesRecently we have had dealings with a firm who are very well known and established, and have a good reputation in the market place. However the firm have made an offer to one of our candidates and pushed slightly too hard, such that the candidate rejected the offer. I should start by saying that I understand…