The London Legal Job Market

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2009 was one of the most difficult of years in memory for legal recruitment but thankfully the market did improve in 2010.  The UK and London markets continued to move very sluggishly in the first half of the year but other international regions saw an improvement.  The Asian market in particular attracted applicants who were willing to seek new challenges, although the boom times in the Middle East were obviously at an end.  The middle two quarters of the year saw increased activity in some parts of mainland Europe such as Germany and Brussels and the Australian job market enjoyed some restrained confidence. 

Looking ahead to 2011, there is room for cautious optimism.  The market seems likely to continue to slowly improve and the GR Law team has already experienced an increase in recruitment in London in both in-house and in private practice.  There are a few points that are important to remember when considering the London market:

·        The market will remain difficult for newly qualified lawyers.  There is no denying that this recession has eviscerated the NQ job market and there are now far more NQ lawyers looking for work then there are jobs available.

·        The market continues to favour the employer rather than the employee and will continue to do so for some time yet.

Applicants need to think very carefully about how to find that job.  Identify your key strengths and think about what separates you out from the rest of the market.  Think laterally about your experience and consider which employers should be most interested in your skills and why.  Don’t be afraid to explain why you think you would be good for a role.

The good news is that there are roles out there, more sobering news is that they will be harder to find than before.