Legal Job Market Report – May 2025 – summary of the legal job market for locum and permanent legal recruitment from Ten Percent Legal Recruitment and Interim Lawyers Locum Legal Recruitment.
Here is our summary of the current state of the UK legal job market.
Locum Recruitment – Quiet
Locum work remains quiet and is yet to pick up for May, which is unusual. Conveyancing rates for some locums are still bordering on the unrealistic (£55 per hour for residential conveyancing locums is unaffordable for a lot of smaller sized firms – see below for our hourly rate guide). We still have the ongoing standoff between firms wanting locum lawyers to work out of their offices, but a lot of locums looking for work remotely. The most recently posted roles have been in wills & probate, children law (legal aid), corporate and commercial contracts, commercial litigation, conveyancing and commercial property. Locum assignment updates here .
Permanent Recruitment – Quiet
Permanent roles have remained lower and this is due to market conditions – turnover at a lot of firms we see remains the same or lower for most firms, other than an increase in work caused by the Stamp Duty deadline in April . We have started to see permanent conveyancing roles getting posted with us this month and a slight increase in corporate & commercial fields. In house legal activity remains muted across the board. Candidate registration numbers have dropped by over half again compared with last April (see below) and this is a good marker for demonstrating a bit of nervousness entering the market.
Permanent vacancies can be viewed here: https://www.ten-percent.co.uk/vacancies/
Law Firms for Sale – Busy
If you are considering retiring or selling now is still a very good time to start thinking about it. The market remains busy with high demand for particular types of law firm. There remains a good flow of buyer enquiries coming into us daily for our firms for sale, although interestingly our list of firms is a lot smaller than usual due to recent deals completing and firms in advanced talks with buyers. Full details of firms currently for sale on our website – list updated daily. For valuations, exit planning or a confidential discussion about a potential sale or acquisition generally please ring 01824 780937 or email jf@jonathanfagan.co.uk. You can also download our free detailed guides on Buying a Law Firm and Selling a Law Firm .
Ten Percent Group statistics for April 2025 (2024 figures in brackets)
- New locum roles added – 16 (19)
- New permanent roles added – 25 (30)
- New candidates added – 42 (104)
KPMG & REC Report on Jobs UK – 12th May 2025
This is a monthly report prepared by KPMG following a questionnaire sent to over 400 UK recruitment consultancies, including ourselves.
- Permanent placements decline at softest rate in seven months
- Candidate numbers rise amid further drop in vacancies
- Temp wage growth improves to 11-month high
Commentary from Jon Holt, CEO of KPMG UK
“A softening in the pace of the hiring slowdown failed to bring any significant green shoots for the jobs market in April, as recruitment continued to be muted and the number of people looking for jobs increased. This is unsurprising, with businesses facing several pressures due to current global economic uncertainty and rising costs, it is unlikely to lead to a sudden turnaround in the market in the near term. Starting salaries increased again in April, as a new national minimum wage took effect, but the fact that the pace of growth continues to remain below the long-run average will support the Bank’s decision to decrease interest rates this month. While the inflation outlook has shown some improvement, businesses will be looking for more signs of market stability before committing to any major spending.”
Commentary from Neil Carberry REC CEO
“Given the bow wave of costs firms faced in April, maintaining the gradual improvement in numbers we have seen over the past few months is on the good end of our expectations. While we are yet to see real momentum build, hopes of an improving picture in the second half of the year should be buoyed by today’s data. Last week’s interest rate move is well-timed, offering some relief for businesses, with pay pressures now more contained. The biggest single drag factor on activity right now is uncertainty. Some of that can’t be helped, but payroll tax costs and regulation design is in the Government’s gift. Businesses have welcomed positive discussions wit Ministers on the Employment Rights Bill, but now it is time for real changes to address employers’ fears and boost hiring.”
