In private practice we have seen steady recruitment across the board. The national and mid-market firms have provided the most opportunities for candidates seeking new opportunities in London, but opportunities within US, Magic Circle, Silver Circle, and the more West End/boutique offerings have also been forthcoming.
Insurance is continually a busy area, be it in relation to commercial insurance, professional indemnity, personal injury or clinical negligence. Good lawyers at all levels within these areas are in demand. Another area of recent growth has been real estate. Firms have been looking to bolster their real estate teams with junior hires, with 1-3 year PQE lawyers being of particular interest, especially where those candidates have real estate finance or development experience. Construction is also busy, but a lack of strong candidates means that firms are competing for the handful of those that are active on the market.
It would be surprising if the current need for junior real estate lawyers was to continue but we would expect the insurance and construction market to continually turnover, given our experience over the past 12 months.
While the newly qualified market is looking more vibrant than last year, many companies have still opted to miss out this year and employ a paralegal instead.