Reading Time: 3 minutesIf you have a third class law degree, is it the end of your career? Hi, I am writing to seek some advice with regards to my current career situation. I have achieved 3 A-Levels at BBC. I have completed my LLB Law degree but achieved a third due to unforeseen and unfortunate personal and…
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhat is a QBE lawyer? The term QBE comes from the financial sector and is increasingly applied to lawyers as well. A number of conveyancers are QBE and so are in house Counsel. It is rare for anyone to practice in law without at least an LLB or LLM, but they do exist, particularly in…
Reading Time: 4 minutesShould I Stay or Should I Go? In April every year we are regularly contacted by newly qualified and 1 year PQE (post-qualification experience) solicitors who ask the following questions: 1. Should I stay with my training law firm for at least 2 years when I qualify? 2. How much should I get paid? 3.…
Reading Time: 7 minutesLocums – what to do if a business doesn’t pay Interim Lawyers and Ten Percent Legal specialise in the introduction of locum solicitors to cover assignments at private practice law firms and we are well versed with the problem of consultants not getting paid (it happens to us as well from time to time!). Most…
Reading Time: 3 minutesI want to do Sports Law in a solicitors firm We get a number of enquiries from students and graduates which go something like: “Hello, I want to be a sports lawyer, have you got anything?” or “hi – I’ve done a bit of family law but find it boring. I want to be a…
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhat does a Media Lawyer do? When I grow up I want to be a media lawyer and go round slapping injunctions on people. It sounds sooo exciting! Hmm. OK – so you want to be a media solicitor but what does one do in practice? If you need to read this article, one thing…
Reading Time: < 1 minuteFor our full advice on in house legal jobs and moving in house from private practice (and vice versa) please visit our In House page by clicking https://ten-percent.co.uk/in-house-lawyers/ The advice sheet includes the following: How easy is it to move from a solicitors’ firm to an in house legal department? Can anyone do it? Is…
Reading Time: 6 minutesWhen I grow up I want to be a human rights lawyer (and marry George Clooney) We’ve been meaning to write this article for ages and I was only jogged into action by a long train journey and a recent spate of enquiries! So many teenagers and young adults have the idea that they want…
Reading Time: 2 minutesA law graduate (and businessman) has recently been in touch to ask the following question: “What areas of law will be busy over the next 5-20 years in the light of trends such as Alternative Business Structures, Artificial Intelligence, etc.?” The following advice is probably about as accurate as a prediction from a clairvoyant, but…
Reading Time: 13 minutesThe LAA have very kindly published the 2017 Standard Crime Contract on the internet, which means it is possible to see exactly what the specifications are for the employed status of duty solicitors and also any restrictions on crime supervisors. Please see the extract in bold regarding ghost duty solicitors and also the new requirements…
Reading Time: 2 minutesDo General Practice Solicitors still exist? At one time general practice solicitors (ie a solicitor who is able to work in a number of different areas of law) were scorned and firms avoided recruiting them. Times have changed and they are back in demand. So do they still exist? Yes, in a nutshell, but they…
Reading Time: 2 minutesGood Work/Life Balances and the Legal Profession – are they compatible? I recently noticed an article online by one of our competitors (Douglas Scott) about work/life balances in the legal profession and how average hours worked have dropped dramatically since 2014. There is talk of agile working conditions, hot desks, plus Magic Circle firm Clifford…
Reading Time: 2 minutesLocum Dilemna – what do I do if a firm cancels an assignment at short notice? For a full detailed list of FAQs on locums and a guide on how to be an successful locum please visit www.interimlawyers.co.uk “Hi Jonathan. I was booked back in February for a conveyancing role to last for a week…
Reading Time: 3 minutesMaking a Move – how to know when it is time The autumn is traditionally a time when a number of staff at law firms start to look around for work. Our candidate registrations tend to pick up at this time of year as solicitors return from their summer holidays having had time to think…
Reading Time: 3 minutesLocums – avoiding bad firms and bad locums Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment handles both permanent and locum vacancies. We assist with locum assignments via our website www.interimlawyers.co.uk. Every locum we arrange work for is checked out and we get proof of ID, proof of residence, copies of practising certificates and attempt to get two references on…
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe UK’s most expensive Google Adwords In April 2016 Search Engine Watch, a very useful industry online magazine, undertook a study of the UK’s most expensive Google Adwords. These are the adverts at the top of the page when you search any keyword. We have been using the system for over 15 years and it…
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAgency accused of inventing staff A legal recruitment agency, Dawn Ellmore Employment (never heard of them) has been caught by RollonFriday.com inventing staff – full report at http://www.rollonfriday.com/TheNews/EuropeNews/tabid/58/Id/4434/fromTab/36/currentIndex/0/Default.aspx This has attracted lots of comments from disgruntled lawyers about agencies faking their identities, making up staff and qualifications and pretending that they are much bigger than…
Reading Time: < 1 minuteOh dear – yet again crime solicitors find themselves unable to work out what or where they will be in a years time. Hopefully some certainty will come into play sooner or later and the political see saw will balance in the middle for a while. We understand that the new rota deadline is 12th…
Reading Time: 3 minutesSmallLaw v BigLaw – the differences The US has a slightly different definition of the two types of law firm operating in each jurisdiction. In the UK we call them High Street law and Commercial law firms, although the two overlap a bit. In the USA they term the two types of firm SmallLaw and…
Reading Time: 3 minutesPractice Managers in a solicitor’s firm – who are they and how do you get a job as one? Practice Managers are usually the most senior administrative member of staff in a solicitors’ firm or company. In a lot of firms they are expected to have a considerable and varied amount of experience with tasks…
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhat do umbrella companies do and is there any point using one to do locum work? We have been working with locums in the legal profession for over 10 years now and it seems to be a fairly recent phenomenon that a very small minority of our locums and other locums we’ve come across employ…
Reading Time: 4 minutesHow to have a Successful Career as a Legal Secretary Most people do not grow up thinking, “When I start work I want to be a legal secretary”. It is more common to think, “When I grow up I want to be a lawyer”. But these days legal secretaries in some law firms actually earn…
Reading Time: 3 minutesVery recently, a candidate got in touch about a vacancy, explaining quite apologetically that she was returning to work after a break and could she be considered for the post. As a recruiter, I have to be honest and say that whenever anybody tells me they are returning to work I almost involuntarily sigh because…
Reading Time: 2 minutesSalary Myths and the Legal Profession The legal profession is plagued by salary myths. How many times have high street solicitors been speaking to acquaintances and informed that as they are a solicitor they must be earning loads of money, at least 6 figures? How many law students still start their degree course thinking that…
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe June 2015 version of Legal Recruitment News is available at www.legal-recruitment.co.uk – click here to go straight to the newsletter. It includes our Legal Job Market Update and Locum Rates for June 2015. You can sign up to receive our newsletters every month or so via email as well. Simply email us at cv@ten-percent.co.uk
Reading Time: < 1 minuteHow to be a Locum – new .pdf guide We have produced a new free 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. You can get additional information from the www.interimlawyers.co.uk FAQ section for both…
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Death of 20 days Annual Leave There are still a number of law firms out there who offer 20 days annual leave. Occasionally this crops up and it is probably useful to know that by offering 20 days annual leave you are risking losing staff to the competition and not being able to recruit…
Reading Time: 3 minutesMothers returning to work – a missed opportunity? The legal profession very often lags behind other sectors for recruitment practices and HR trends. Firms have tended to be inflexible about hours, reluctant to recruit part time staff and hesitant to offer alternatives to salary increases. It is not surprising therefore that parents returning to work…
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Annual Baby Boom Phenomenon and Locum Cover Every year we see a surge in maternity leave cover and requests for locums. This is known as the ‘Baby Boom’ time slot. For 6 weeks in March and April we go through a time when partners and HR managers call us to enquire about cover. It…
Reading Time: 2 minutesHourly Rates of Pay for Locum Solicitors and Legal Executives – March 4th 2015 update Locum hourly rate payment varies widely according to the demand, length of assignment, level of experience and advance notice available. Hourly rates go up during the summer (June-September). NB: These rates are intended as a guide only. Hourly rates can…