Our Legal consultants; Sunny Everton, Managing Director, Jonathan Turner, Executive Director, Emma Delli-Bovi, Business Director and Meena Bahanda, Business Director and Head of Legal recruitment for Scotland, share their thoughts below on hiring trends, what employers need to implement in 2025 to attract top talent and how employees can enhance their career prospects.
If you’d like support with your hiring strategy, looking for top talent or exploring new career opportunities get in touch with one of our Legal recruitment consultants, who will be happy to help.
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What’s affecting hiring and employment across the Legal Private Practice market?
Flexible and hybrid working
The ability for law firms to provide hybrid working, offer flexibility and compressed hours remain key factors for talent attraction, especially as some firms are reverting to full-time office attendance. Scottish firms in particular remain very traditional with their policies and expectations.
It could be suggested, especially in today’s market, that rejecting a candidate based on their need for flexible working or even part-time working request could be seen as discriminatory. If employers are serious about attracting wider pools of talent, they have to accept flexible working as the norm, not the exception. Subtle changes like highlighting this on job adverts will increase the number of job applications or at the very least, presents the firm in a positive light in the marketplace. Legal professionals talk, so it’s key that messaging is positive!
Diversity and social mobility
Elitism still exists across the profession with some firms requesting particular employment experience and or university education. Employers need to shift this mindset, especially when it comes to attracting top talent, since this will only deter many skilled and talented people from applying.
Stress and workload
Firms are struggling with retention, especially at junior levels. Stress, increased workload and burn out are causes for concern. It’sabsolutely imperative that firms do all they can to identify risks and address them quickly to avoid health issues, sickness absence and fatalities.
Salary and compensation
With economic uncertainty and market volatility continuing to affect firms, cost pressures and the ability to hire remain a sticking point. Professionals are plagued with cost of living rises and therefore are not afraid to ask for higher salaries. A lack of transparency around bonuses and benefits such as parental leave, is creating disengagement because people know there is no legitimate reason for firms to keep this information hidden. Transparency and honesty are essential when attracting top talent, we’ve seen people move to a new job because they haven’t been overpromised and their expectations have been managed effectively.
The desire for employees to move
Over the past 12 months, some employers have focused on retention strategies, ensuring their workforce feels valued and looked after. This means that hiring has been slower, because employees are struggling to see the “what’s in it for me” when it comes to a move.
What do employers need to implement throughout 2025 to be successful?
Training and development
It's absolutely essential for firms to have clear career progression options mapped out, professionals want to know during the interview stage what career development support that employer will provide and if their aspirations will be met. With technology and machine learning becoming paramount for legal practice, upskilling in legal tech will be key for improving accuracy, efficiency and meeting client demands.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategies
A strong position to diversity, equity and inclusion where employers can evidence deliverables, and impact will help firms stand out. Employees are tired of listening to false promises and vision statements, they want to see action.
Employer branding
Firms need to have a solid understanding of their employer value proposition, highlighting what makes them special. When we’re looking at highly saturated legal markets, firms need to know what their differentiator is so that they can communicate this well and consistently to the market. Professionals do their homework before considering a move, and if the employer brand is strong and sends a clear message, they are much more likely to consider working for them.
What do employees need to focus on throughout 2025 to enhance their career prospects?
Proactive learning
Law firms want to know tactically what value professionals are going to bring and how they intend to accelerate the growth of a practice. In a highly competitive market, it’s vital that employees understand what makes them stand out. We have seen a shift when it comes to our clients looking for specialists in particular disciplines, or at the very least, people who have an idea of the specialism they want to develop. Legal clients are seeking out experts, and so why would an employer be any different? Becoming a master of one area, will help employees set themselves apart from their competitors.
Business Development
Business development is becoming more important across the legal sector as firms look to their employees to expand client partnerships and develop propositions. Employees are increasingly being asked how they will bring in more business and what innovative ideas can they recommend to enhance client delivery, growth and reputation. There is a particular focus on business development in the Middle East.
Have an opinion
It is no longer acceptable for employees to sit on the sidelines when it comes to important topics like Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, sustainability or the environment. These are important issues, and they need to be addressed at all levels in order for the profession to see real positive changes. To that end, employees need to have their own thoughts and opinions, at least as a starting point. Employers are now winning or losing business based on their sustainability policies, for example. Throughout 2025 and beyond conversations around these topics will become more and more prevalent and will impact the hiring process.
If you’d like support with your hiring strategy, looking for top talent or exploring new career opportunities get in touch with one of our Legal recruitment consultants, who will be happy to help.
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